


Danganronpa: Colorful Killers

by Oggser



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fangan Ronpa, Fanganronpa, God is Dead, M/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Nothing is Sacred, everyone is being murdered, pretty shit tbh, so basically just a normal dr fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2018-11-10 18:59:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 76,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11132802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oggser/pseuds/Oggser
Summary: You know how you're an alive, talentless human who lives their life without much fear of death? This isn't like that.In DR: CK we'll enter the life of Natsuka Hino, a talented student at Hope's Peak Academy given the title of "Ultimate Florist." She'll be put inside a class with 15 other talented students, which would be fine and good if it wasn't for one little tiny thing.There's a sadistic monochrome cartoon bear demon forcing them all to kill each other.  No big deal.--A little project that I've spent some time on. Just an original class with original murders. Probably. It sounds like shit because it's going to be.CURRENTLY ON-Chapter 3: Stand in the Dark and Open Your EyesDEADLY LIFEDISCORD SERVERhttps://discord.gg/u2HkCzn(join please its been dead for the past 9 years because i dont know how to update)





	1. [1] Prologue: Welcome to Despair Mall! The Most Murderous-est Place to Shop!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet 16 students, and the number only shrinks from hereon in.
> 
> UPDATE: FRIDAY, JULY 20th, 2018, 9:25 PM
> 
> REWRITTEN! dont expect quality like this until around the midpoint of chapter 2-3, yeahahahah

I don’t have any doubt you’ve heard of the Hope’s Peak Talented Program.

 

If this were some kind of introduction to the concept, right now would be around the time where I’d explain the requirements to get in. How only the most elite of high schoolers could get into the school, or how you can’t sign up, you have to get scouted in order to get the title of “Ultimate.” I’d tell you all of that, but chances are, if you’re hearing this, you already know. Chances are, you already know the general idea of the tragedy I’m about to recount. Chances are, you don’t know who I am either. I doubt you know a version of me that’s recognizable in the slightest.

 

But your world needs to know.

 

This catastrophe has brought so many lives to ruin. So many futures stopped dead in their tracks. That’s why you need to carry this knowledge, feel the weight of our catastrophe on your shoulders.

 

And learn.

 

\----

 

_ The shadow of the massive skyscraper of a school building loomed over me like a bad dream. Despite the shade that covered me, I still felt the instinct to cover my eyes, as if this school was the sun itself. _

 

_ The building that stood in front of me was the absolute greatest school of all time. A private school if private schools were actually any good whatsoever. Hope’s Peak Academy, the Ultimate Academy. You could have any talent: from Gunslingers to Extreme Ironers, you could probably get in: so long as your talent brought some chance of hope to the world. _

 

_ If you went somehow went back and time and told eleven-year-old me that she would be going to Hope’s Peak Academy, she’d probably ask you; “What for?”, probably sounding like a curious mongrel. _

_  
_ _ You’d tell her, “Giving people flowers.” _

 

_ My name is  _ **_Natsuka Hino,_ ** _ I’ve been scouted as the  _ **_Ultimate Florist._ **

 

**[NATSUKA HINO// FLORIST]**

 

_ It sounds a bit pathetic, because it is. Could you blame me? Getting into the school is impressive enough, but having a talent that’s actually worth a shit is just blatantly out of my reach. Besides, I can’t remember a time that I didn’t like flowers. _

 

_ My passion for them grew around the time I was six or seven, but even before then I’d known the three things that carried me to my career: Flowers are pretty, flowers make people feel pretty, flowers mean different things. Of course, I’d probably word it better nowadays, but the concept still works. _

 

_ I must have been standing outside of the school for a good 10 minutes, writhing in my own anxiety and trying not to faint, all while trying not to show it on my face, and walked into the gates. _

 

_ I would describe the inside of the school, but the only things I could tell you would be ‘clean, professional, and nauseating.’ The minute my foot was inside the actual building I felt this swirl in my abdomen that I didn’t react to. I was acting perfectly normal, despite the fact that my world was turning black. _

 

………………………………………….

 

……………………………..

 

…………………..

 

……….

 

…..

 

…

 

.

 

_ And I was falling. I was falling, but I couldn’t feel the screeching whistles of wind around me as I plummeted to some inevitable demise. I wouldn’t crash into the ground. I was in blackness. A void. I felt my memories try to escape my body as I grasped onto them. _

 

 _My name is Natsuka Hino. I’m five foot three and sixteen years old._ _My favorite thing is stuffed animals, I don’t like fire or green tea, and glass bottles make me anxious._

 

_ As these memories became easier to hold on to, I came closer to reality. Closer to the realization of what was to come….. _

 

_ And I woke up. _

 

**NATSUKA:** …….

….. Huh…?

 

_ My vision blurred, and then focused on the ceiling….? _

 

_ The ceiling was.…?  _

 

_ The ceiling…? _

 

_ It was covered in pictures of flowers, illuminated by the homely yellow glow of an old lamp in the corner. Sitting up, I noticed there was a desk in the corner with many supplies that I had in my actual station back home. That didn’t matter though, the only thought running through my head was… _

 

**NATSUKA:** W-where the hell am I? __

 

_ I got up from the bed and glanced at the blanket that laid on top of it (floral and pink). After that came the rest of the room. _

 

_ The mirror on the wall of the room revealed my features to myself, my black eyes were scared and rushed, while my straight black hair was messier than usual and came down a bit below my shoulders. The mole under my left eye was the same as ever, and so was the annoying hair antenna that I could never comb down. I rolled up the sleeves my mint-green button up and adjusted my red tie shortly before making sure my blue overall dress fit well. My rain boots never fit, but that was something I was used to. _

 

_ The nightstand by my bed had a drawer, which I opened. There was a silver key with a nametag labeled “Hino N.”  _

 

_ I tested out the door to make sure that I wasn’t trapped in this room, and to my surprise, I wasn’t. I pushed open the doorknob and found myself in a hallway, where I spotted someone else inside of it.  _

 

_ The person I saw, a rounded figure, generally soft looking. Not obviously overweight, but she could probably be considered it. in suspenders and a mostly monochrome outfit. She had brown hair, dark skin and cold blue eyes. We stopped and looked at each other for a few seconds before she had the mercy to break the silence. _

 

**SUSPENDERS GIRL:** [Waving awkwardly] … Hi?

 

**NATSUKA:** … H-hello? What do you expect me to say? Do you have any idea what’s going on? Who the hell are you?

 

**SUSPENDERS GIRL:** [Defensive position] Ah! J-jeez, calm down with the questions-- I-I think I’m basically in the same position as you are!

I… walked into my new school… and then I kinda felt this really weird stomach churny feeling… and then I was just in this room! Tons of bottles everywhere!

U-uh… is that something like yours?

 

**NATSUKA:** That’s… [sigh] exactly what happened to me.

 

**SUSPENDERS GIRL:** [Open mouth] Oh, wait, are you a Hope’s Peak student too?

 

**NATSUKA:** Well… Yes, yes I am. Are you one?

 

**SUSPENDERS GIRL:** Yup yup! Totes certified by the Hope’s Peaky guys up there!

 

**NATSUKA:** … Totes?

Ugh, whatever. What’s your name?

And… talent, I guess.

 

**SUSPENDERS GIRL:** Oh, yeah- I’m  **Emizu Hoshino,** and people call me the  **Ultimate Bartender!**

 

**[EMIZU HOSHINO // BARTENDER]**

 

_ Bartender? That shouldn’t be legal… but I don’t think there’s a being in the current universe that actually cares, so whatever. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Cheery] Sooo, mystery girl, what’re you about?

 

**NATSUKA:** I’m Natsuka Hino. Call me Natsuka. I’m a florist.

 

**EMIZU:** Natsuka? That’s a really pretty name ya got there, girly! Flower of the summer… right?

 

**NATSUKA:** U-uh… yeah- yes. Field of sun with the summer’s flower, specifically.

 

 **EMIZU:** [Starry-eyed] OMG, OMG, that’s even prettier! Seriously, you lucked out with such a pretty name!

 

_ … She’s saying that out loud? _

 

**NATSUKA:** … R-really, it’s not a big deal.

… We should really figure out what’s happening right now.

 

**EMIZU:** Oh my gosh, I totally forgot… Uh, I dunno what’s going on, but I don’t feel like it should be…  _ that  _ bad, right?

 

**NATSUKA:** One can pray.

 

_ As we walked, I realized that we were in some kind of… Mattress store. Small and cozy, but it held a collection of rooms. _

 

**NATSUKA:** Where even are we? Is this a store?

 

**EMIZU:** [Shrugging] I… don’t know. Wouldn’t it be weird if we were just… in a mall for some reason? Wouldn’t that be crazy!

 

**NATSUKA:** We’re in a mall.

 

**EMIZU:** Oh my god we’re in a mall.

[Freaking Out] O-okay I  _ swear  _ that was a joke! I have no idea what’s going on!

 

**NATSUKA:** Dear god, I believe you, calm down.

 

**EMIZU:** O-okay! Sorry!

 

_ The mall’s first floor seemed to be split into the food court and the plaza. _

 

**NATSUKA:** … Where should we go?

 

**EMIZU:** Um… seems like there’s other people here, so that’s really good! There’s a really cute-looking store over there too, so we should go there!

 

**NATSUKA:** You really like cute things, don’t you?

 

**EMIZU:** [Embarrassed] Heh, you got me. Anything cute has me in the palm of it’s hand, totes!

Seriously, if a cartoon cat with a cute art style told me to topple the government, I wouldn’t be able to say no!

 

**NATSUKA:** … 

 

**EMIZU:** That was a little much, wasn’t it?

 

**NATSUKA:** Very.

 

_ We walked towards the sickeningly pink store, which had a sign that said ‘Pasteland’ at the top in a gaudy yellow faunt. _

 

**NATSUKA:** … Pasteland?

 

**EMIZU:** It’s probably a pun or something.

 

**NATSUKA:** They legitimately, unironically named their store ‘Pasteland’?

 

**EMIZU:** [Shrugs] They probably thought it was clever?

 

**NATSUKA:** They should win an award.

I’d suggest Darwin’s.

 

**EMIZU:** [Covering mouth] Pfff! Good one!

 

_ God, it’s like this girl just jumped out of a romantic comedy. _

 

\--

 

_ The sign slowly moved behind us as we walked into the store, it was just as pink as it looked from outside. 3 people stood in it, each with some amount of pink on them. _

 

**FEATHER BOA GIRL:** [Sighs] It’s so tiring being such a popular artist with so many fans… [Yawns]

[Rubs eye] … How many autographs do ya want… You’re gonna hafta give me the pen, though… 

[Dramatic pose] Beware, though… I can sign so many autographs in five minutes your  _ head’s  _ gonna spin.

 

**FASHIONABLE GIRL:** Seriously, like, who the hell is this chick?

 

**IRRITATED BOY:** [Face in hand] Legitimately? No clue.

 

**FEATHER BOA GIRL:** [Neutral] … 

[Light Surprise] Huuuh? You dunno who I am?

 

**FASHIONABLE GIRL:** [Annoyed, crosses arms] Uh, yeah! If you were some kinda celebrity, I would’ve heard of you like, 5 years ago!

 

**IRRITATED BOY:** [Smug look] She’s not exaggerating. She’s into pop culture like it’s serotonin, or maybe antibiotics.

 

_ Could you get any more opposite? _

 

**EMIZU:** [Concern] Uh, hey, what’s going on?

 

**FEATHER BOA GIRL:** [Rubbing eye] Oh, nothin’. These guys just dunno who the **Ultra Super Duper Famous Sculptor Yui Kajiwara** is… Thas all… 

 

**[YUI KAJIWARA // SCULPTOR]**

 

_ … Who? _

 

_ The girl in front of me had dark skin, but was noticeably lighter than Emizu. She wore her pink hair in pigtails and carried a pink feather boa on her shoulders, which was also home to an oversized purple coat with green stripes. Her most obvious feature was probably how short she was, though. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Starry eyed] Wait,  _ you’re  _ Yui Kajiwara!? Ohmygoshohmygosh-- I’ve seen some of your sculptures! I thought they were freaking photos!  _ Photos! _

 

**YUI:** … That’s cuz they prolly  _ were  _ photos… 

 

**EMIZU:** Oh, you know what I mean! You’re seriously so freaking talented!!

 

**YUI:** [Smiling lightly] Yup. That’s me. I do autographs.

… Do you… uhh… have paper?

 

**EMIZU:** …

Drat! I  _ don’t _ have any paper!

 

**YUI:** There might be some later. ‘s cool.

 

**EMIZU:** [Pretends to wipe tear] Such a gracious soul…… 

 

**NATSUKA:** … What?

 

**EMIZU:** Oh, Yui Kajiwara’s totes famous for her sculpting. She has the world record for fastest quality sculpture, she’s set and beat it like, 4 times over!

 

**YUI:** Eh… that talent comes with a grievous cost… I’m so famous that it makes me exhausted just thinking about all of my adoring fans… 

 

_ I’ve literally never heard of you. _

 

**FASHIONABLE GIRL:** Seriously? Where the hell do you know her from? Are you gonna trust her?

 

**IRRITATED BOY:** [Hand on hip] If she’s that famous, how have none of us heard of her?

_ Yes, repeat exactly what she just said yet again. That’ll make an identity for yourself. _

 

**YUI:** Guess you’re just unlucky… Nna.

 

**EMIZU:** Oh, um, sorry--

 

**YUI:** Too bad, too bad, my work should be enjoyed by all, not just the majority of the human population… 

 

_ Emizu turned to face the irritated boy and the fashionable girl. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Hands clasped]  I’m Emizu Hoshino- hi, nice to meet you- um, the pale girl over there is Natsuka… Hino. Natsuka Hino.

 

_ I nodded. _

 

**EMIZU:** Yeah, Hino. I’m the Ultimate Bartender, and she’s the Ultimate… Florist!

 

 **FASHIONABLE GIRL:** [Raising eyebrow] Wait, legit? You’re Hope’s Peak Students too?

 

**YUI:** Nna… so am I… weird.

 

**IRRITATED BOY:** [Hand on chin] Hm… 

 

**FASHIONABLE GIRL:** Aight, let’s take it from the top then-

[Winks, flashes peace sign] I’m  **Aiko Hibarayashi, Ultimate Occultist!** Get charmed!

 

 **[AIKO HIBARAYASHI** **// OCCULTIST]**

 

**IRRITATED BOY:** [Crossing arms] And I’m **Tsubasa Komatsu** . I do **ballet.**

 

**[TSUBASA KOMATSU // BALLET DANCER]**

 

_ Aiko had long blonde hair and dark skin. She didn’t leave much to the imagination, all she wore on her torso was a pink bra and a sleeveless, oversized hoodie that she’d only zipped up a tiny bit. She was about an inch or two shorter than me. _

 

_ Tsubasa was very, very pink. He had pink hair, a pink hoodie, pink ballet shoes, all of it. What wasn’t pink about him were his eyes, which were blue,and his pants, which were… _

_Denim blue_ ** _jeggings._** _Ugh. He wasn’t slim at all, in fact he was obviously overweight with broad shoulders. Not exactly what I picture a ballet dancer… who wears_ ** _JEGGINGS._**

 

**NATSUKA:** You’re… an occultist? Is that legal…?

 

**AIKO:** [Starry eyed] Hah! As if, fuck the cops! Demons are, like, cool as hell!

 

**TSUBASA:** She’s right. Fuck the cops.

 

**YUI:** [Nods sagely] Fuck the cops.

 

**EMIZU:** [Flustered] U-um… alright?

 

**NATSUKA:** … What the fuck do you even have to  _ do  _ to be the Ultimate Occultist?

 

**AIKO:** [Counting on fingers] Welll… I’ve researched demons ever since I was like, 9, I got kidnapped by a cult one time… that was fun, I’ve collected, like, a fuckton of spiritual shit and haunted artifacts… tried to be a medium one time, that didn’t go well, couldn’t get the fuckin’ ghosts out for  _ months- _

 

**TSUBASA:** They get it, Aiks.

 

**AIKO:** Oh, was I rambling? Thanks, Bassy, you always got my back!

 

**EMIZU:** [Overwhelmed by cuteness] Oh my gooosh… you two are like, the sweetest couple ever!

 

**AIKO & TSUBASA: ** [Wretch simultaneously]  **GOD** no!

 

_ After Emizu was shocked for the millionth time in those five minutes, we both walked out of the store. _

 

\--

 

**NATSUKA:** Ugh. What’s next?

 

**EMIZU:** Um, I dunno? Maybe that library, or the… garden place?? 

 

**NATSUKA:** I’m in a garden most days of my life, why would I want to go in one again?

 

**EMIZU:** … Point taken, uh… how about that gym thing? You don’t look like you’ve been in a gym… ever.

 

**NATSUKA:** I  _ haven’t,  _ in fact, mostly because I hate the smell of sweaty, hypermasculine idiots.

 

**EMIZU:** Oookaaayy… yeah that’s actually a valid complaint.

 

**NATSUKA:** As I thought.

 

**EMIZU:** Do you… like movies?

 

**NATSUKA:** Who doesn’t like movies? They’re basically one of the only forms of entertainment we get.

 

**EMIZU:** That’s blatantly wrong, but there’s a movie store over there! [Points]

 

_ Before my eyes laid a blue and yellow sign, it had the words “TAKE 2!” stuck onto the sign flashing obnoxious lights on all of the letters. If I was writing this, I’d probably have to include the exclamation point at the end of the name every time I mentioned it, which bothered me for some reason. _

 

**NATSUKA:** … Are you suggesting we go in?

 

**EMIZU:** [Shrugs] Well, yeah! Might be people in there, y’know?

 

**NATSUKA:** Okay, fine, let’s go then, no harm in it, probably.

 

\--

 

_ Emizu lead me to the Take 2! Where we saw some new faces among the lines and shelves of old movies. _

 

_ Inside, there was a small girl with a devil-horn headband rummaging through a box of movies that were on sale, being watched anxiously by a bespectacled, broad-shouldered girl who carried a binder that was held closely to her chest. _

 

 **HORN GIRL:** [Throws movies behind her] Boring! Boring! Cliche! Obnoxious! Main character sucks!

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** U-umm… y-you really shouldn’t be d-doing that… uh, s-someone has to pick that up… 

 

**HORN GIRL:** [Gasps and lifts her head up from the box] You’re so right, broad whose name I don’t know! I shouldn’t be throwing trash all over this fine establishment! What am I, the one percent?

I’m gonna turn over a new leaf, I’m gonna throw trash  _ EVERYWHERE! _

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** N-NO DON’T DO THAT!!

 

**HORN GIRL:** [Flashes a peace sign] Too late~! You’ve doomed me, and therefore you’ve doomed the world! Hope you like answering to Shinzo about why the pacific’s just a mass of straight romcoms!

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** [Holds head] Eeeeegh… Hyii…

 

**EMIZU:** Ehem, um, excuse me? Are you two… doing alright?

 

**HORN GIRL:** TOTES! I finally realized my purpose in life!

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** Ghhhh… 

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, sure, yeah, but what about… [Points to glasses girl] her?

 

**HORN GIRL:** Necessary casualty.

 

_ Emizu just paused and stared for a few seconds, positively exasperated. _

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, well, I’m Emizu Hoshino, and folks call me the Ultimate Bartender! Are you two Hope’s Peak students too?

 

**HORN GIRL:** … 

Hah! Nice try, but you definitely don’t have the look of an Ultimate Student!

 

_ … What does she even mean by that? Whatever, I’ll back her up. _

 

**NATSUKA:** She’s a student, I can attest to that. I’m a student too.

 

**HORN GIRL:** [Furrows brow] … Okay  _ first  _ off, cute girl alert, _ second  _ off, you weren’t joking?

 

**NATSUKA:** She wasn’t.

 

**EMIZU:** I WASN’T!

  
**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** [Writing in binder] Th-that doesn’t seem like something you should joke about… 

 

**NATSUKA:** If you don’t believe me, I’m Natsuka Hino. Florist.

 

_ Classy, aren’t I? _

 

**HORN GIRL:** Ooo, flowers~! Nice!

[Twiddles with pigtails] Well, since you introduced yourself so kindly, I’ll do the same.

Call me  **Chishiko Kamii,** and I’m the  **Ultimate Cat Trainer!**

 

**[CHISHIKO KAMII // CAT TRAINER]**

 

_ Chishiko was kind of tiny, and couldn’t have been any taller than five feet. She wore her long blonde hair in pigtails at the top of her head, dressed mostly in black, and adorned her scalp with a devil-horn headband. _

 

**CHISHIKO:** That’s right, it’s ya girl! Chish!

[Rolls eyes] Side note, don’t call me Chish, if you call me Chish I’ll shank you.

 

**NATSUKA:** The term is shiv.

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Crosses arms, devious smile] Guess the cutie doesn’t like her intestines~! You want ‘em out!?

 

**EMIZU:** [Nervous sweat] UM. Before you do that, can you tell us more about your talent? It sounds, uh, interesting! Haha!

 

_ She looks so… awkward. _

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Looks at nails] Oh, no big.

Y’see, I’m  _ kind of _ a super awesome medical prodigy, so I know stuff so well that I taught my cats to operate before paramedics can arrive.

 

_ Silence. _

_ What the fuck. _

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** O-okay, noted! Chishiko Kamii, Cat Trainer, a medical prodigy, mischievous and somewhat self centered, enjoys causing reactions in other people! 

… I-I wasn’t supposed to say that last part a-as loud as I did.

But I did.

[Mortified] Oh no.

 

**CHISHIKO:** Intestines, Four-Eyes, you want ‘em?

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** EEEK!! YES!

 

**EMIZU:** [Sweating, nervous] U-uh, how about you? What’s your name, Ms.?

 

**GIRL WITH GLASSES:** O-oh, um… [Fumbles for words] U-uh…

**S-Shiori Maeda. Ultimate Secretary** , i-if you please.

 

**[SHIORI MAEDA // SECRETARY]**

 

_ I’ve never heard of her before, but that’s just about expected from a secretary. _

 

**EMIZU:** OH! You’re a secretary? Does that mean you help out, like, super cool businessmen n’ stuf?

 

**SHIORI:** [Hides behind binder] Y-yes, occasionally! But, uh, mostly it’s just… um… small business owners and college students… haha.

I-I’m really not that special! Honest!

I-I just… I’m organized, and I can… uh, multitask!

 

**EMIZU:** REALLY? I can’t multitask at all! I’m pretty sure one time I tried to get super organized and I think I died? I got better, though!

 

**NATSUKA:** Do you take notes on everyone you meet.

 

**SHIORI:** [Clutches binder in anxiety] …

Y-yes.

 

**EMIZU:** … What are mine?

 

**SHIORI:** [Flipping through notes] Emizu Hoshino, Bartender. Incredibly cheerful, p-probably informal, seems to want to stop conflict…

A-at least, that’s what I, um, have so far… heh.

 

**EMIZU:** WOAH! We’ve barely even talked! That’s spot on!

 

**SHIORI:** I-I do this a lot…

 

_ She’s… creepy. Why does she take notes of everyone she meets? What are her goals? Emizu seems to think she’s okay for some reason, but she does that with everyone. I’m staying suspicious. _

 

**EMIZU:** Oh, sorry, but we should probably get going! We hafta introduce ourselves to everyone, and I don’t even know how many there are!

 

**SHIORI:** W-well, from when I woke up, I-I counted around sixteen dorms, s-so that should be how many students there are, you should be able to introduce yourself in, uh, less than an hour!

 

_ … Does she have her shit together? _

 

**CHISHIKO:** Oh, before you go, I gotta warn you, when you get to the gym, plug your nose.

 

**NATSUKA:** [Reaches for her nose] Ugh, gross, why?

 

**CHISHIKO:** There’s a pig in a jumpsuit who smells like pretzels and an American Football game. He’s disgusting to be around, totally grotesque, even! Plus there’s this  _ suuuper _ boring goth bitch in the library, but you shouldn’t hafta worry about her as long as you gouge your eyes out~!

 

_ This broad doesn’t seem to have a filter, does she? _

 

**SHIORI:** [Head down, glancing up] U-uh, you really shouldn’t call him a… pig… j-just because he’s not very good at hygiene, a-and that he’s overweight, doesn’t mean that h-he deserves to be called a na-

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Points lividly] Alright you motherfucking she-dog! YOU can’t tell me what I can and can’t call that fatass! He’s not even here! What damage does it do?!

 

**SHIORI:** [Cowers behind binder] HYEEEKK!!

 

**EMIZU:** [Turns to Natsuka and whispers] We should… go.

 

**NATSUKA:** Let’s… let’s, um, do that.

 

_ We turned and left Chishiko and Shiori to their yelling fest, Chishiko started rummaging through the movies again as soon as we left. _

 

\--

 

**NATSUKA:** So, where do you think we should check out next… ?

 

_ … It was at this point that I realized that her and I were travelling together for no reason. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Rubs back of neck] In all honesty? I’m a little curious about the gym now.

 

**NATSUKA:** Why? Isn’t there some kind of… jockish pig in there?

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, yeah? I’m just really confused by what she meant, honestly.

He had to have done something that made her dislike him that much… 

 

**NATSUKA:** … Sure, fine, let’s see what this is all about, don’t be disappointed when he’s just a normal person, though.

 

**EMIZU:** He’s probably an Ultimate! He can’t just be some normal guy- plus, I wanna know if I have to be careful while I’m here!

 

_ And, reluctantly, I walked with her. _

 

\--

 

_ The gym (which was named, as I gathered, PumpIt! With the exclamation mark) was mostly blue, and had several worky-outy contraptions that looked more like cyberpunk torture machines to me. As she had warned, it smelled like a combination of stale pretzels and AXE body spray. _

 

_ In the middle of the room, I saw an enormous man lifting some weights, and a slightly less enormous man above him with a big cape(?) and a scarf, maybe to do that thing they call ‘spotting’ or… something? _

 

_ In the back of the room, there was a lanky boy in a big coat looking suspiciously at a magazine. It had a picture of a whisk on the cover, and he obviously wasn’t reading it. _

 

 **ENORMOUS MAN:** [Lifting weight] MMPH… 

 

**CAPE MAN:** YOU CAN DO IT MY CLASSMATE!! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU SHAN’T FALL TO THIS METALLIC BAR JUST YET!!  **TWO MORE!!**

 

**ENORMOUS MAN:** J-Jesus Christ dude-

 

**CAPE MAN:** OUTSTANDING!!!!

 

_ The masculinity in this room is suffocating me. _

 

**EMIZU:** … Holy crud, Natsuka, look closer!

 

**NATSUKA:** What? What are you talking abou- Oh my God?

 

_ Upon closer inspection, I realized that the slightly less enormous man was, actually inside of a full suit of armor. _

_ What the fuck. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Starry-eyed] That dude’s so cool! That armor’s gotta be pretty heavy, but he’s just carryin’ it like it’s nothing!

 

**NATSUKA:** I-I don’t think ‘cool’ is the word I’d use for that guy… 

 

_ Meanwhile, the two men at the front hadn’t noticed us at all. _

 

**CAPE MAN:** _ ONE MORE!!!! _

 

**ENORMOUS MAN: NNNNNNHNNGHHHGPH…!!!**

YEAAAAHHH! HELL FUCKIN’ YEAH!

 

_ He jumped up and flexed his Man Muscles proudly. A quick glance at his full frame told me this was probably the guy Chishiko was talking about, definitely overweight, dark skin, two-tone dyed mohawk, and… very strange teeth. Not to mention, he smelled awful. _

 

**CAPE MAN:** [Wipes imaginary tear] Truly incredible… what stunning talent!!

 

**EMIZU:** [Claps] WOO! Yeah! Go that guy! Yeah! Haha!

 

**NATSUKA:** _ Emizu. _

 

**CAPE MAN:** Aa! Who are these fair maidens? Have they come to admire a specimen of masculinity?

 

**NATSUKA:** God no.

 

**EMIZU:** Haha! No thanks I’m, uh, not really into that.

 

**NATSUKA:** … Wait-

 

 **CAPE MAN:** [Poses dramatically] ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF!

I am  **Daichi Fujikawa,** at your service!

 

**[DAICHI FUJIKAWA // BLADESMITH]**

 

_ Daichi wore a full suit of armor, though parts of his arms and thighs were covered by cloth instead of metal, and made from the same cloth was a cape on his back. He couldn’t have been shorter than six feet tall, and his broad shoulders made sure that he wasn’t very light either. _

 

**EMIZU:** Wow! Do you have a talent? Are you like, a knight?

 

**DAICHI:** I must negate that! I am assigned the title of  **Ultimate Bladesmith!**

 

**NATSUKA:** So you… make swords?

 

**DAICHI:** [Flexes] DIRECTLY FROM THE FORGE! I CRAFT THEM FROM MOLTEN IRON!

[Crosses arms, anxious] … T-though I, uh, have been neglecting that a bit lately… 

BUT THAT MATTERS NOT! TELL ME, WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES, YOUNG MAIDENS?

 

**EMIZU:** I’m Emizu Hoshino, Ultimate Bartender!

 

**DAICHI:** [Defensive position] GAH! Are you not too young to drink!? You could be arrested!! MAIDEN HOSHINO, DID YOU NOT KNOW THIS?

 

_ Maiden Hoshino…? I guess a being in the known universe did care after all, huh. _

 

**ENORMOUS MAN:** Dude, no one cares about that shit anymore, you could drink like straight liquor at, like, seven and no one’d care.

Dumbass.

 

**EMIZU:** [Nervous sweat] Aheh- that’s a little hyperbolic, but I don’t actually drink… 

 

**ENORMOUS MAN:** [Embarrassed expression] Oh.

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, my friend here’s name is Natsuka Hino! She’s a florist!

 

**DAICHI:** A BEAUTIFUL PROFESSION FOR A FAIR MAIDEN! MY WORDS GO OUT TO THEE!!

 

_ Is he okay? I thought we were supposed to worry about the fat one, not the one in  _ **_full armor._ **

 

**ENORMOUS MAN:** Okay, listen up.

My name’s  **Ota Oguro,** an’ I’m the  **Ultimate Weightlifter,** ain’t that some cool shit?

 

**[OTA OGURO // WEIGHLIFTER]**

 

_ Ota… what a hypermasculine name. I can’t say it doesn’t fit him, though. _

 

_ Broad, muscular, and manly were the first three words that came into my mind when I saw him. His posture was rigid, like he was going to do something, but didn’t. His face was strange, full lips and two obvious teeth that stuck out of his jaw. He had a lot of piercings, and wore a jumpsuit. All in all, one question was on my mind. _

 

**NATSUKA:** … How old are you?

 

 **OTA:** [Scratches cheek] Uh, fifteen, duh? Why?

 

_ WHAT. _

 

_ HE’S??? YOUNGER??? THAN???????? ME???? _

 

**NATSUKA:** … What’s your birthday?

 

 **OTA:** … Uhh, December Fifteenth.

  
  


**EMIZU:** Who cares about that, how much can you lift?

 

**OTA:** Least seven hundred. Pounds, t’ be specific.

 

**EMIZU:** WOW! THAT’S INCREDIBLE! And at your age too?

 

_ That’s not incredible, that’s terrifying, I immediately looked away and saw the lanky guy at the back of the room staring at our group in awe. I disregarded the conversation they were having and walked over to him. _

 

_ - _

 

**NATSUKA:** Why are you at a gym?

 

**LANKY GUY:** … What?

 

**NATSUKA:** You don’t exactly look… gym-y or jockish or… whatever. I don’t get why you’re here.

 

_ Natsuka Hino, conversationalist extraordinaire. _

 

**LANKY GUY:** [Pushes up glasses] Pff, you’re one to talk, you look like an antisocial pessimist.

 

_ Shit, I  _ **_am_ ** _ that. _

 

**NATSUKA:** And you aren’t?

 

**LANKY GUY:** No no, I’m an introverted pessimist! They’re different!

 

**NATSUKA:** And introverted pessimists read… Whisk Magazine…?

There aren’t even any magazine racks here. Where did you get that.

 

**LANKY GUY:** I have my ways.

Speaking of ways! Any **ways,** who are you?

 

**NATSUKA:** Natsuka Hino. Ultimate Florist.

 

**LANKY GUY:** Another Ultimate? Sick. 

[Finger guns] Call me  **Ren, Ren Takemoto** , occupation:  **Ultimate Matchmaker!**

 

**[REN TAKEMOTO // MATCHMAKER]**

 

**NATSUKA:** I refuse to believe someone with your personality is emotionally intelligent.

 

**REN:** YEAH ME TOO.

[Shrugs, awkward expression] Legit, I don’t get why they called me a matchmaker?

I run a blog where people send in two characters and I just kinda smush them together and give them a rating.

Usually it was just, like, their favorite pairing from a thing, or two characters they thought would be totally incompatible.

[Overdramatic shrug] But eventually, people started in sending in actual relationship problems? So I was just like…

“Well I can’t  **NOT** answer these.”

So I did, and apparently they were pretty good since I’m a fuckin’ Ultimate now! Aheh.

[Jabs his thumb at himself] And that’s the origin story of ya boy!

 

_ Oh, so he’s one of those basement dweller types. Okay, I think I know what his deal is. _

 

**NATSUKA:** [Puts hand on chin] So, you’re good at determining whether romances will fail or not, but…

Seriously why are you at the  _ gym?? _

 

**REN:** [Crosses arms] Eh, prob’ly the same reason you’re here.

 

**NATSUKA:** You got dragged here by an obnoxiously optimistic Romcom character who was curious about the existence of an overweight jock with hygiene similar to how scientists describe black holes?

 

**REN:** …

OKAY I GUESS WE’RE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

 

**NATSUKA:** Out with it for the love of God.

 

**REN:** [Pushes up glasses, smirk] …

Cute guys.

 

_ That explains literally everything about this man. _

 

**REN:** Oh don’t you judge me! I’m not some perv, who doesn’t like to look at some cute people every once in a while?

 

**NATSUKA:** [Rubs temples] You’re… obnoxious.

 

**REN:** What a burn. You sound like my Dad.

 

_ Before I could respond to that, a hand tapped my shoulder. _

 

**EMIZU:** Hey-

 

**NATSUKA:** AAGH!

 

_ And I ended up on the floor. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Flabbergasted] … She’s startled so easily… 

 

**REN:** [Hand over mouth] Pff.

 

**EMIZU:** [Trying to change the subject] SO. WHO’S THIS GUY? HAHA.

 

**REN:** Ren Takemoto. I’m a matchmaker. [Finger guns]

 

_ I got up as Emizu and Ren introduced themselves to each other, and left. Emizu followed behind me, waved to the people in the gym on my behalf, and followed me out _

 

\--

 

**NATSUKA:** [Crosses her arms] …

 

**EMIZU:** There’s a clothing place?

 

_ I looked around and saw a sign that said “Killer Cuts,” decorated with props of scissors and fabric. _

 

**NATSUKA:** [Sighs] Sure, let’s go.

 

_ Emizu looked a bit concerned, so she went ahead slower than she would usually in order to watch me more carefully. _

 

\--

 

_ The store was full of separate outfits, different hats and shirts (etc.) lined the walls, while the outfits took up the main part of the store. _

 

_ Browsing the store was a shorter, formal-looking guy with a strange combination of a ponytail and a shaved head. He was touching the fabric, kind of pulling his fingers across them all. _

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, hi! How are you?

 

**PONYTAIL BOY:** … Fine.

 

_ He didn’t even bother looking at us… Rude. _

 

**EMIZU:** Aha. What’s your name?

 

**PONYTAIL BOY:** …

[Hand on cheek]  **Rouki Hasagawa.** I’m the Ultimate  **Fashion Designer.**

 

**[ROUKI HASAGAWA // FASHION DESIGNER]**

 

_ Th-This guy!? _

 

_ Rouki had pale skin, blue hair and eyes, and a purple suit. He had a round nose and gap teeth, and he had an air of disinterest surrounding him. His hair had a fairly wavy texture. _

 

_ I’d heard of him: even if you hadn’t, then you’ve heard of Leftlace Fashion Industries. Their variety in clothes had them selling things from t-shirts and chokers to avant garde fashion, and the thing they’re most renowned for is their fashion design… _

 

_ That this teenager happens to lead. _

 

**EMIZU:** OH! You’re a fashion designer? Emizu Hoshino, I’m a bartender- Do you do any fancy designs for some fancy companies?

 

**ROUKI:** [Hand in suit pocket] I run Leftlace’s  fashion design.

 

**EMIZU:** Leftwhat??

 

**ROUKI:** [Turning away] You probably wouldn’t know about it, your outfit doesn’t look like it has anything of my design.

 

_ Has this guy looked me in the eye ONCE? _

 

**ROUKI:** …

 

_ He looked my outfit up and down, though I  _ **_still_ ** _ felt like he was intentionally avoiding my eyes. _

 

**ROUKI:** Hmph… your fashion is an eyesore.

 

**NATSUKA:** What?

 

**ROUKI:** Not in the way that it brings too much attention, in the way that whenever I look at it, my eyes feel sore. Did you… attempt and fail at being formal?

[Pinches nose bridge] Seriously, overalls?

 

**NATSUKA:** I… hate your hair.

 

**ROUKI:** Of course you do, it’s  _ fashion-conscious. _

 

_ That just sounds like another word for pretentious. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Waving hands] H-hey! Don’t fight, you guys!

[“We Can Do It!” Pose] With positivity, there’s gonna be no reason to ever fight at all! Ha! Ha!

 

_ She looks nervous. _

 

**NATSUKA:** Whatever, lets get out of here before I cause a homicide.

 

**EMIZU:** Don’t… Don’t say that! Or kill anybody!

 

**ROUKI:** [Smirk] She said “cause,” not “commit.”

 

**NATSUKA:** I’m not a quitter, I could do both.

 

**ROUKI:** Clearly you are, since you gave up trying to look decent a long, long time ago.

 

**EMIZU:** [Gestures to a dress] THAT DRESS IS SO PRETTY. I LIKE THE DRESS.

 

_ After a long, awkward sequence of events, we took our leave and once again found ourselves in the plaza. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ There weren’t a large amount of places left, so I started to mark them down in my head. There’s a library, some kind of punk-ish emo store, a greenery, and the food court. Subconsciously, I began to mutter to myself. _

 

**NATSUKA:** [Vague muttering noises]

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, are you okay?

 

**NATSUKA:** I’m weighing my options.

I definitely don’t want to go to that punk-ish store, so I’m saving that for last, the food court could easily be second to last, and the library is a place I kind of want to go to. So I’m planning to go to the library, then the greenery, then the food court and the emo store.

 

**EMIZU:** …

[Shines, hands on hips] Huh. I guess we’re doin’ that then!

 

\--

 

_ The library was titled simply, Noble & Braun’s, it had a green and brown aesthetic and a white sign. The inside resembled a scholar’s room from some old fantasy novel: books coated the entirety of the shelves, and a few were on the floor. _

 

_ Checking inside the store, I noticed two people, one tall and a bit broad, the other short and eccentric. The girl in gothic clothes was talking to a boy with a pink sweater and a long red scarf. _

 

**GOTH GIRL:** The protagonist is unlikable and didn’t deserve half of the things he got for free, he was terrible to Yuriko for the first half of the book, and yet he still gets her heart in the end. It’s troubling how the author thinks that is a half-decent love story…

 

**SCARF GUY:** Are we truly supposed to root for Shintaro as the protagonist, or are we supposed to feel like he’s an annoying person? Personally, I believe this book is genius, it’s terrible on  _ purpose,  _ which is a clever experiment created by the one who wrote this.

 

**GOTH GIRL:** No, I am fairly certain the author said the book was unironic, ergot, it is bad on accident. Plus, even if it was unskillfully written due to the author’s intention… it’s… it is still bad.

 

_ … Are… are they talking about Labor of Love? That book is so popular, but  _ **_God_ ** _ I couldn’t hate it more if I tried. _

 

_ Before I knew it, Emizu was practically skipping towards the two and waving. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Waves] Hey! Hi! 

 

**GOTH GIRL:** Huh?

 

**SCARF GUY:** Hm?

 

**EMIZU:** Okay, so, introductions, I’m Emizu Hoshino, bartender, the cold girl is Natsuka Hino, and she’s a florist!

 

**GOTH GIRL:** How forward…

I assume you want me to introduce myself as well?

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, yeah! That’s what you usually do, right?

 

**GOTH GIRL:** … I… suppose that’s what you do.

 

**SCARF GUY:** Do you  _ not _ know you’re supposed to introduce yourself after someone else does? How inept  _ are  _ you?

 

**GOTH GIRL:** Shut up.

[Hands folded at waist] My name is  **Miyako Hirai,** you might know me for my work,  _ The Totally Odd and Incredibly Unordinary Life of Shikuko Chichiyaku. _

 

**[MIYAKO HIRAI // PUPPETEER]**

 

**NATSUKA:** Isn’t that the webseries told entirely through puppetry? The one about the goth girl who deals with her absolutely insane classmates?

 

**MIYAKO:** [Twirls hair] Yes, I made it. In fact, I’m  _ making  _ it.

 

_ Miyako had long black hair decorated with a beret, and she wore a black dress with a built-in corset. Her stockings were blue, and she wore sleeveless gloves. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Gasps!] So, are you like, a puppeteer? 

 

**MIYAKO:** [Light smile] Yes, that is my talent.

 

**SCARF GUY:** If we’re going for introductions, I’ll introduce myself.

My name is  **Kiyoshi Arita,** and I’m also the  **Ultimate Knitter.**

 

**[KIYOSHI ARITA // KNITTER]**

 

_ Kiyoshi was tall, pale, and muscular. He wore a pink sweater over a fairly business casual outfit, and he had glasses that framed his purple eyes above strangely sharp cheekbones. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Scratches cheek] Huh… just looking at you, I thought you’d be like, a movie critic or something!

 

**MIYAKO:** He is not nearly intelligent enough to be a movie critic. He thought  _ Labor of Love _ was genius.

 

**KIYOSHI:** Oh shut up, I’ll have you know my IQ is one-forty-two, I’m a genius.

 

**EMIZU:** Isn’t that the one where the relationship borders on romcom levels of unhealthy?

Uh, whatever, how’d you get your talent, Kiyoshi?

 

**KIYOSHI:** Ugh, smalltalk, well whatever.

I once organized a charity event where I knitted hundreds of quality sweaters, mittens, caps and etcetera and donated them to the homeless.

 

**EMIZU:** Uh, you should call them “homeless people!” Not, “the homeless.”

 

**NATSUKA:** [Pinches nose bridge] I doubt he’ll listen.

 

**EMIZU:** … Natsuka, he organized a charity event and knit so much stuff he got considered an Ultimate. I’m not sure what you think he is.

 

**NATSUKA:** [Twirls hair in hand] I have personal experience with rude people, being one myself.

 

**EMIZU:** [Holds breath, worried glance] Don’t… don’t say that.

 

**KIYOSHI:** No, I can vouch for her being awful, she definitely seems it.   
  


**EMIZU:** Why can’t you people just be nice to each other…?

 

_ I scoffed and turned away, Emizu said goodbye to the two and followed me. _

 

\--

 

**EMIZU:** WHAT WAS THAT?

 

**NATSUKA:** I thought you’d noticed by now that I’m an  _ abhorrent  _ bitch.

 

 **EMIZU:** [Waves hands in front of her] I haven’t!! That’s not a thing that I think about _anyone!_

 

**NATSUKA:** … Sure. Let’s just… let’s just go.

 

_ My subconscious, being amazingly terrible, told me she was lying. Fuck you, subconscious. As we walked towards the greenery, I crossed my arms. _

 

\--

 

_ Green, green, green. Everything seemed like it was a shade of green in Queenie’s Greenery, as I was told it was called by the swirly sign above the door. Inside was only one person. She was a tall, busty girl with long braided hair dyed multiple colors. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Gasp!] She’s so pretty, Natsuka! Look at her! Look how pretty she is!

 

_ … I don’t think she’s what I go for, but she’s definitely not ugly. _

 

**NATSUKA:** She’s okay.

 

_ Before I could even say that, Emizu had practically skipped over to her, forcing me to jog in order to follow at a steady pace. _

 

**MULTICOLOR GIRL:** Huh?

 

**EMIZU:** [Waves] Hi! I’m Emizu Hoshino, but the folks at Hope’s Peak have decided to call me the Ultimate Bartender!

[Jabs a thumb at Natsuka] The skinny girl over there- her name is Natsuka, and she likes flowers. We’re friends.

 

**NATSUKA:** We are?

 

**EMIZU:** Of  _ course _ we are, what else would we be?

 

**NATSUKA:** … Acquaintances?

 

**EMIZU:** [Pouty face, crosses arms] That’s way too fancy, so we’re friends now.

 

**MULTICOLOR GIRL:** …

HELL YEAH! You guys are Ultimates, right? Good for you!

 

_ That’s such a weird way to phrase that that I can’t just ignore it. _

 

**NATSUKA:** [Hands folded at waist] Are… are you not an Ultimate? The rest of us are.

 

**MULTICOLOR GIRL:** Oh, I…  _ suppose  _ I’m an Ultimate, I don’t really deserve the title at fuckin’ all though.

 

_ Suppose? And why did she inject that swear in there, the sentence sounded awkward with it added in. _

 

**EMIZU:** Oh coome onn! You’re obviously talented enough to be an Ultimate, so there’s no way you don’t deserve it!

 

**MULTICOLOR GIRL:** [Chuckles,] That’s what everyone says!

Anyways, if you’re so fuckin’ curious, the name’s  **Atsukenna Mizuno,** don’t ask, I know it’s weird.

… and I guess people call me the  **Ultimate Gardener.**

 

**[ATSUKENNA MIZUNO // GARDENER]**

 

_ A gardener? That’s a bit similar to a florist. _

 

_ For lack of a better word, Atsukenna dressed like a punk. Hot pink and accessories ruled over this girl’s outfit, with her long hair alternating between patches of blonde, pink, and blue. She was noticeably a little more than a lot of the others here, and she wore sandals. She, also, had blue eyes. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Gasp!] Your name is so pretty! You should thank your parents, cuz they gave you the  _ prettiest  _ name!

 

**ATSUKENNA:** [Nervous] Haha. They’re not the ones you should be fuckin’ thanking.

 

**NATSUKA:** … How do you cheat at being a gardener? Is there even a way to cheat at that?

 

 **ATSUKENNA:** [Scratches her chin] … Probably not.

But like, I’ve got [flashes her fingers for emphasis]  **four** brothers, and they all do the same bullshit as me: all gardeners!

They’ve all got so goddamn much more natural talent than I do, but… I’m still the one who got accepted, cause fuckin’, I don’t know, I just fuckin’... did.

 

_ Does she EVER stop swearing? _

 

**EMIZU:** [Fistpumps, excited] Just cuz your family didn’t get in doesn’t mean that you have to feel bad about it! [Waggles her finger] Feeling bad about stuff like that doesn’t help anybody, so there’s no reason to be sad!

 

**NATSUKA:** You don’t know anything about psychology, do you?

 

**EMIZU:** Ahaa whaaaaat? Haha. Ha.

 

**ATSUKENNA:** Seriously, I’ve fuckin’ tried that, but I can’t just… not feel guilty. It’s not goddamn your fault, Ms. Hoshino.

 

_ MS. HOSHINO?? _

 

**EMIZU:** [Worried expression] … I-I, uh… I guess if you’ve tried, then I guess I… can’t help. [Crosses arms]

 

**NATSUKA:** [Mumbles] You’re so dramatic.

 

_ Emizu and Atsukenna talked a bit more, and she and I waved goodbye. _

 

\--

 

**EMIZU:** I kind of wonder if anyone’s gonna be at the food court!

 

**NATSUKA:** Do you think that someone… won’t be? There’s been someone at every place we’ve visited, so I’d be surprised if the place where you can eat doesn’t have any.

 

**EMIZU:** [Rests cheek on hand] Well… yeah, but the girl with glasses said there were around sixteen. Maybe the rest of them are in the Skullbasher?

 

**NATSUKA:** The  **_what?_ **

 

**EMIZU:** Oh! That’s the name of the punk store you don’t wanna go to, I looked at the sign!

 

_ Sure enough, when I glanced over, I saw the words “Skullbasher” apparently scrawled in a gothic font. Holy god. _

 

**NATSUKA:** …

We’re going to the food court right now.

 

**EMIZU:** I see your point.

 

\--

 

_ The food court was mostly free of people, aside from a figure sitting at one of the tables- one of the  _ **_many_ ** _ tables, I might add. This section could hold at least a few hundred people. _

 

_ Emizu, before I could physically process it, was walking over to the person, who was short, stocky, and had an eclectic, almost rebelling style. Almost. _

 

**EMIZU:** Hi! I like your hair!

 

**PUNKISH GUY:** [Pats undercut] O-oh, uh, thank you.

 

**EMIZU:** It’s very pink! You should be proud! [Thumbs up!]

 

**PUNKISH GUY:** No, really, it’s, uh, it’s fine! I don’t really work on it too much.

 

**EMIZU:** You  _ don’t work on it!?  _ Are you the Ultimate Hairstylist or something?! That’s amazing!

 

**NATSUKA:** If he was a hairstylist, he’d work on his hair a  _ lot.  _

 

**EMIZU:** [Airy thought] Oh, I didn’t think of that…

Uh! Speaking of Ultimates, are you an Ultimate? Everyone we’ve met so far has been one, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.

 

**PUNKISH GUY:** [Crosses arms] Uh, I guess? I don’t think I’m really special enough to consider myself Ultimate, though, even if Hope’s Peak does.

 

**EMIZU:** Oh, uh, you can tell us, though! We won’t laugh!

 

_ What is this guy’s talent anyways? He looks a bit like some kind of American biker. _

 

**PUNKISH GUY:** Uh… okay. My name is  **Katsuo Sugai,** and I guess people call me the  **Ultimate Baker.**

 

**[KATSUO SUGAI // BAKER]**

 

_ … A baker is just one letter off from a biker. So I’m basically right. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Gasps!] Do you like… make cakes? I love cake!

 

**KATSUO:** I’m- I guess… Sometimes?

 

**EMIZU:** Oh, that’s amazing! I’m sure you’re really good at it!

 

**KATSUO:** U-uh, not really, but thanks…!

 

**EMIZU:** You’re welcome!

 

**KATSUO:** … 

 

**EMIZU:** … 

 

**KATSUO:** ……..

 

**EMIZU:** SO! Uh. Do you make anything else?

 

**KATSUO:** [Sweating bullets] I uh… I like, um…

… Cookies…

Which means I bake them.

Because I like them.

 

**EMIZU:** [Fake shocked!] NO WAY! I like cookies too!

Gosh, Katsuo! We’ll get along just fine!

 

**NATSUKA:** You’re trying too hard.

 

**EMIZU:** Hahaha whaaaaat? Nuh-uhhhh!

[Whispers to Natsuka]  _ Shush. _

 

**NATSUKA:** [Rolls eyes] Ugh.

 

**KATSUO:** … I guess I-I’ll just uh, go. Over there. Bye.

 

_ Katsuo jogged over to a restaurant in the far corners of the food court. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. _

 

**EMIZU:** … Aw.

 

**NATSUKA:** Well that was fun. Let’s get the worst part over with.

 

\--

 

_ Emizu and I had walked to the plaza again, steeling every every conceivable nerve in my body for what was to come. _

 

_ The store itself was dark, holding t-shirts and pop culture references swarming my eyes like a pack of angry hornets dead set on blinding me in the most painful way possible. _

 

_ Looking above, in hope that it may be my mortal solace, I saw a bony figure in a baggy jumpsuit above me. It wore a catty smile, like some kind of trickster fairy who just swapped someone’s baby for an an animate pile of wood. _

 

**CATTY GUY:** Hellooooo there~!

 

**NATSUKA:** GAH!!

 

_ I promptly staggered back, trying my damndest not to fall flat on the ground. _

 

_ Upon closer inspection, he wasn’t floating, and was simply sitting on top of a shelf full of different novelty gadgets. They were all goth. _

 

**EMIZU:** [Worried expression] A-are you okay?

 

**CATTY GUY:** … Well well fuckin’ well, jumpy aren’t we?

 

**NATSUKA:** Oh  _ shut  _ up.

 

**CATTY GUY:** [Lounges on top of cabinet] Sounds like  _ you’re  _ avoiding the question, my good bitch. Hihihi~!

 

_ What an obnoxious laugh…  _

 

**NATSUKA:** Eurgh- you’re… infuriating!

 

**EMIZU:** C-come on, Natsuka, we hafta introduce ourselves!

 

**NATSUKA:** No we don’t.

 

**EMIZU:** [Ignores Natsuka and turns to Kuukiko] U-uh, I’m Emizu Hoshino, Ultimate Bartender, what’s your n--

 

**CATTY GUY:** I won’t give you the satisfaction of asking! [Sticks his leg out]  **Kuukiko Kawami,** baby!  **Ultimate Toxicologist** till the day I die!

 

**[KUUKIKO KAWAKAMI // TOXICOLOGIST]**

 

**EMIZU:** Kuukiko? Isn’t that a feminine name?

 

**KUUKIKO:** Isn’t  _ your  _ name feminine?

 

**EMIZU:** … W-well, yeah, but I’m a girl! 

 

**KUUKIKO:** [Looks at his nails. It’s obvious he bites them] Alright then, Taroudaiohikomasaru.

 

**EMIZU:** That’s not my name, that’s just a bunch of masculine characters you franken-said together!!

 

**KUUKIKO:** Reaaaally? I dunno, maybe that really  _ is _ your name!

 

**EMIZU:** N-no it’s not!

 

**NATSUKA:** if this conversation continues for like  _ five _ more seconds I swear to god I’m leaving.

 

**KUUKIKO:** Aw, leaving already? Are you………………………

…………………………………………….

 

**NATSUKA:** What are you do--

 

 **KUUKIKO:** _Peeeeeeeeeeved?_

 

**NATSUKA:** I’m gonna kill him.

 

**EMIZU:** HAHA WE’RE GOING NOW! [Drags Natsuka out with her]

 

\--

 

**NATSUKA:** [Crosses arms] …

 

**EMIZU:** … Well that wasn’t very pleasant.

 

**NATSUKA:** Just say it was shitty. It was like he was  _ trying _ to be obnoxious.

 

**EMIZU:** I-I mean, he probs was… people, like, do that sometimes!

 

**NATSUKA:** Ugh, whatever, I think that he was the 16th one, counting us. Which means… we’re done, and we can spend the rest of our time figuring out why we’re here…

[Exhales] Fucking  _ finally,  _ I’m tired of meeting people-- honestly, I can’t see how this day could get any worse.

 

**EMIZU:** … I don’t think today’s been…  _ that _ bad! Heh… 

 

-

 

_ As if the universe was answering me, a familiar sound reverberated around the plaza. _

 

[ding dong bing bong]

 

_ A school bell. _

 

**???:** … Aheh, is this thing on?

 

_ A blunt force taps the microphone, as if checking it _

 

**???:** Okay! There we are! The mall broadcast system is a-go! 

I know ya can, but let’s just pretend I don’t know that-- can everyone hear me? Yup? Great! Now we can get this whole shabang on the road.

 

_ The lighthearted voice that came from the space above us drove into me like a piton in cold soil, the betrayal of a cautious aura was whiplash-inducing. _

 

_ … What’s happening? _

 

**???:** Okay okay, lovely capitalistic consumers of mine, make your way to the main plaza-- which is by the food court, if you didn’t know, come by or come die!

 

_ … Come by or come die? _

 

**EMIZU:** U-uh… Natsuka, aren’t we  _ in _ the main plaza?

 

**NATSUKA:** Yes, we are, what about it?

 

_ It was at that moment I heard what was probably the most cartoonish series of sound effects that had ever been conceived. I could easily imagine it in an American cartoon series about a mouse with iconic ears. _

 

_ And then I turned around. _

 

_ And there was a stage in the middle of the plaza. _

 

**NATSUKA:** J-J-JESUS CHRIST-- WHERE’D THAT COME FROM!?

 

 **EMIZU:** [Disbelief, scratches cheek] … Did-- did I eat some cheese before I slept??

 

_ My panic wasn’t soothed by the fact that a podium flipped itself onto the stage when we looked at it _

 

**NATSUKA:** [Wipes sweat off of forehead] Uhhh? Wwwhhat? What?

 

_ Before I knew it, some of the other student I’d met had funnelled themselves into the room as well. _

 

**KIYOSHI:** [Pushes up glasses, arms crossed] Well that’s… odd. I don’t remember that being here.

 

**REN:** Odd? That’s friggin’ crazy!

 

**SHIORI:** [Writing in her binder, mumbling like crazy]

 

**AIKO:** What the hell?? B-Bassy, you got any idea what’s going on?

 

**TSUBASA:** No clue.

 

 **AIKO:** [Rolls her eyes, smirking] How astute. 

 

**OTA:** _ THE FUCK IS THAT DOIN’ HERE!? _

 

**YUI:** … Nna… calm yourselves… think cool thoughts, like sunglasses, or Marilyn Monroe… so cool… 

 

**KUUKIKO:** Huh, I wonder if I made LSD by accident again… that was fun! Hihihi~

  
**CHISHIKO:** [Massages both temples, serene] Ohmmm… something tells me… [looks to Kuukiko] you should’ve died a long time ago…

 

**KATSUO:** Aheh… What??

 

**ROUKI:** … I don’t think I like this.

 

**MIYAKO:** Erm… has this object always been placed betwixt these stores?

 

**ATSUKENNA:** What in the unholy fuck?

 

**DAICHI:** UGAAAA!? WHAT AN INORDINATE AND UNFORTUNATE EVENT!! WHAT EVIL HATH MADE THIS?!

 

_ And everyone had arrived. _

 

-

 

**ATSUKENNA:** Any of y’all individuals know why we’re s’posed to come here?

 

**EMIZU:** I kind of doubt it-- we’re all probably in the same boat!

 

**DAICHI:** Silly Maiden, WE ARE NOT IN A BOAT! We are in a MALL!

 

**KIYOSHI:** Does the neanderthal in the armor ever stop talking?

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Makes glasses with her fingers] I dunno! What about the neanderthal in the glasses?

 

**REN:** [Feigning offense] Hey, I have a name, y’know!

 

**CHISHIKO:** Wrong neand!

 

**KATSUO:** E-erm, is everyone… just, over the fact that there’s a stage. In the middle of the plaza. Are we past that.

 

**KUUKIKO:** HAH! I dunno, I’ve seen arms melt into bone! Some eldritch performance magic means nothing to me, shorty!

 

**KATSUO:** You’re short too.

 

**KUUKIKO:** I don’t have scene hair though, so I’m superior! Hihihi~!

 

**???:** Hey! None of you are superior to anyone!

… Well, except me, of course, I’m the most superior being that’s ever lived in the history of this God-Given Dimension!

 

_ Instantly, all of us went silence, from curiosity or shock. Our reasons varied. _

 

**ROUKI:** Hey, you, with the pigtails, why did you make that...  odd voice?

 

**CHISHIKO:** Ugh, my voice sounds nothing like that, if anything it was probably that sweaty narcissistic pigman over there~!

 

**OTA:** [Livid] MY VOICE CAN’T EVEN  _ GO _ THAT HIGH! I GOT THAT MANLY ROAR, DUMBASS!

 

**MIYAKO:** I have the ability to mimic a voice similar to that, but I sincerely doubt I said those specific words… In fact, I was not even talking.

 

**TSUBASA:** [Obviously done] … It came from the sta--

 

**KUUKIKO:** Are we just gonna ignore the fact that the fatty over there just said he had a ‘manly roar?’ How low can you go!

 

**OTA:** HEY ASSHOLE! IF YOU WANNA FIGHT, I’M RIGHT THE FUCK HERE!! 

 

**KUUKIKO:** Gonna hafta pass on that, sorry! I’d have no chance! Your body’s already got so much sweat on it that if I tried to land a hit, I’d just slip off! Hihihi~!

 

**OTA:** Y-YOU LITTLE--

 

_ R O O O O A A R R ! ! !  _

 

_ … _

_ Our scuffles were cut off by the sound of a monstrous exclamation, coming from the stage… _

 

_ And when our attention was caught, with another lighthearted sound effect, something else appeared on stage. _

 

**???:** Oop! Sorry, I just thought I’d show you all what a real ‘manly roar’ sounds like, sampled from my own ancestors!

 

_ A bear. A stuffed bear. _

_ Down the middle of its body, it was sectioned off into two parts, a white section and a black section, only ignoring it’s mouth and belly. It was around two to three feet tall, and wouldn’t be totally out of place in a child’s bedroom… _

_ If it wasn’t for the fact that the eye on its darker section was red, glowing, and shaped like a corrupted lightning bolt. _

 

**EMIZU:** …

 

**KIYOSHI:** … 

 

**OTA:** … [Tugs on shirt]

 

**EMIZU:** [Under her breath] It’s… kinda cute… 

 

**REN:** HAHA. WHAT.

 

**???:** … Wow. Tough crowd! Whatever, I’m sure I’ll win you over with my stunning handsome looks, or my wuvabwe pewshonawity! 

 

**KATSUO:** Your… your what?

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Stern, hands on hips] Didn’t you hear? His wuvabwe pewshonawity~!

 

**KUUKIKO:** I should prob’ly have checked my ramen for hallucinogens… then again, it was still  _ crunchy _ as ever, so who knows~!

 

**KATSUO:** Th-that’s not--

 

**???:** NO MORE GETTING OFF TOPIC! Seriously, if you march off this metaphorical path an  _ INCH  _ after this I’ll gungnir you into the next realm!!

 

**KIYOSHI:** What path are we even on? I can’t seem to find one…

 

**???:** … Oh yeaaaaaaaaaahhh…

 

_ The bear cleared his throat, gesturing to all of us like some kind of religious figure. _

 

**???:** Welcome to  **This Bear Mall,** everybody!

…

Despair. Despair Mall. Shut up.

 

**ROUKI:** Is it called that because of how  _ dreadfully _ boring it is? The fashion here is…  abhorrent.

 

**AIKO:** I’m  _ right  _ here!

 

**ROUKI:** The fact that you responded to that says more about you than me.

 

**???:** GUNGNIR.

Anyways-- My name is  **Monokuma!** Don’t forget it, cuz you’ll be using it a lot! If you make it that long!

 

_ … If you make it that long?  _

 

**OTA:** Hey- the fuck you mean about ‘makin’ it that long?!’ Are we on some fuckin’ gameshow, cuz I don’t remember readin’ any contracts!!

 

**CHISHIKO:** Implying you can read. 

 

**REN:** [Raises hand] I call first elimination!

 

**MONOKUMA:** Haha! Silly children, we’re not in a gameshow, we are in a  _ game, though! _

 

**REN:** …  _ Am I in Saw?? _

 

**KATSUO:** W-was that a pun…??

 

**TSUBASA:** What kind of game? I didn’t sign up for anything like this.

 

**MONOKUMA:** Well I’ll tell you, it’s a very fun game! For me, at least-- not for you, no no not at  _ all _ for you!

… Well, I guess that depends on the person, but I doubt it!

 

**REN:** Hey Monokuma, are you secretly some bald guy with a terminal illness?

 

**NATSUKA:** Quit your blabbering and get to the point, what “game” do you want us to play?

 

**EMIZU:** A-and, um, why are we here?

 

**YUI:** … When can we leave? Big sis is prolly real worried… 

 

**MONOKUMA:** Well, to answer Mizuko’s question, you’re all here to play the game! About Yui’s, though…

 

**EMIZU:** Emizu.

 

**AIKO:** Spit it out, I ordered a nail kit last week and it should be getting here today! I can’t miss that! That’d be like missing the birth of your own child!

 

**KATSUO:** … You can’t do that.

 

**MONOKUMA:** … Well… to answer her…

_ You’ll be staying here indefinitely-- aka, forever until further notice. _

 

_ … I’ll be what? _

 

**AIKO:** [Shifty-eyed, brings hand to mouth] … 

 

**TSUBASA:** [Arms crossed] …  **What?**

 

**OTA:** WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT?! LET US OUT RIGHT NOW OR I’LL FUCK YOU UP!!

 

**CHISHIKO:** Oh, okay. Better than my other options, honestly!

 

**KIYOSHI:** …

 

**REN:** … Haha, no! Denial! I’m denying this! Self checkout’s not working! Nope! No!

 

**YUI:** W-w-wha’?? No, that can’t be right… t-th-that’s wrong… 

 

**NATSUKA:** Y-you never answered my question! What is this “game” you keep talking about? Why are we being stuck here to play it!

 

**MONOKUMA:** [Hands on stomach] Well, lucky you, the game is actually your way out of this joint!

 

**DAICHI:** HAHAAA! BRILLIANT! BRETHREN, WE SHALL MAKE OUR ESCAPE, AND SOON!

 

**AIKO:** [Wipes sweat from brow] Ooohh thank  _ God,  _ I thought I was actually gonna be stuck here! What a thought!

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Skeptical look] Aiks… 

 

**KUUKIKO:** [Disinterested] Alright, so I don’t actually  _ care, _ but what do we hafta do to get out?

 

**MONOKUMA:** … Well… we all like being peaceful around here, right, right? Peace is necessary for a healthy environment...

… So, what do you think would happen if someone disturbed that peace?

 

**EMIZU:** [Pumps fist] We scold them, of course!

 

**MONOKUMA:** Wrong! We throw ‘em out! If they cause too much chaos, they can’t be trusted in our little capitalistic paradise!

 

**YUI:** W-where are you going with this?

 

**MONOKUMA:** Oh, nowhere, but thinking along those lines… 

… Killing another person would immediately get you out.

… I mean, unless you’re found out, then you die… same difference for if you guys don’t find them out.

 

_ … _

_ …… _

_ …….. _

 

_ What did he say? _

 

_ The entire plaza was silent, as if processing the lyrics to a ritualistic chant, realizing just how bloodthirsty the people who wrote it were. _

 

_ “Kill someone if you want out. If you are found out: you die. If the innocent don’t find you out: they die.” Those were the rules of this “game”. Those were what we would follow. _

 

_ The silence was deafening. _

 

_ Until… _

 

**ATSUKENNA:** NO! I AM  _ NOT _ PARTICIPATING IN THIS FUCKERY!

 

**MONOKUMA:** Yes you are.

 

**ATSUKENNA:** I-I DON’T  _ CARE _ WHAT YOU SAY! YOUR SOCIETY IS FUCKED UP! YOUR GAME IS FUCKED UP! I’M REBELLING AGAINST IT! 

 

**MONOKUMA:** No you’re not.

 

**ATSUKENNA:** Y-Y-YOU DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I DO WHAT I WANT, AND WHAT I WANT TO DO IS  _ NOT MURDER PEOPLE!  _ LEMME GO BACK TO MY FAMILY!

 

**MONOKUMA:** I mean, if you kill someone, yeah. Maybe.

 

**ATSUKENNA:** I’M. NOT. PLAYING. THIS. GAME.

YOU WANT ME TO SPELL THAT SHIT IN BRAILLE? ENGLISH? SPANISH?! I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU DO, I-I’M NOT GONNA--

 

[shing]

 

_ It all happened so fast. _

 

_ With another sound effect, a spike came barrelling out of the ground, and towards Atsukenna. _

 

_ And then… _

 

**NATSUKA:** … 

 

**YUI:** … 

 

**ROUKI:** … 

 

…….

………..

……………

………………

 

**MONOKUMA:** You’re very lucky you haven’t broken any rules, girly.

 

_ Between her head and her shoulder was where the spike landed. A warning shot. No blood. No gore. Just fear. The quiet kind. _

 

 _In between that fear was a  barrage of colorful sound effects from below._ _The spike retracted itself back into the ground, leaving Atsukenna petrified._

 

**ATSUKENNA:** … 

 

**MONOKUMA:** Well, now that that’s over, look at your feet! There’ll be a tablet there with a copy of all the rules!

 

_ I glanced downwards, where a small, black tablet with my name on it laid. I picked it up, pressing the on button. _

 

NATSUKA HINO

_ The tablet flashed, Immediately showcasing a numbered list of rules. _

 

**_\---_ **

 

 

  * ****Unless otherwise specified, students will not leave Despair Mall.****


  * **10 pm. to 7 am. is designated as “Night Time.” The food court, the water, and various other rooms and appliances will be inaccessible during this time.**


  * **Sleeping outside of dormitories during nighttime is not acceptable, though students are allowed to take siestas in Despair Mall during the day.**


  * **Students are free to explore Despair Mall freely, unless otherwise specified.**


  * **Any and all physical violence against Monokuma and surveillance systems will be punished severely.**


  * **Anyone who kills another student will be given a chance to leave Despair Mall and given a fair trial. This trial is mandatory for all students.**


  * **During the trial, if the guilty party is exposed, they alone shall be executed.**


  * **If the guilty party isn’t exposed, they alone shall graduate, leaving the rest of the student body to execution.**



 

 

**_\---_ **

 

_ As I clicked off the page, a new one greeted me with several tabs and applications that I didn’t pay attention to. My eyes refused to focus. _

 

**KIYOSHI:** [Sweating bullets]… Why are you doing this, exactly? What’s your motive? Your reason?

No human person can be so awful as to do this with no reason. What’s yours?

 

**MONOKUMA:** [Lackadaisical] Sorry! You’ve gotta pay nine ninety-nine and your firstborn son to learn that juicy piece o’ backstory!

 

**KIYOSHI:** [Pushes up glasses] I-I see… I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy to get an answer.

 

**MONOKUMA:** Yup! Any other questions?

 

_ Several voices spoke up. _

 

**MONOKUMA:** Ask ‘em later! I’m always available!

… Except for right now. I’m beat!

Enjoy your  **Killing Game.**

 

_ And with that, he was gone…  _

 

_ And I didn’t care. Time became a blue for who knows how long. _

 

_ And after the blur passed,I walked away.  _

 

_ My body seemed to move without thinking. Rational thought had abandoned me, I only had emotions left. _

_ God knows how much I loved those. _

 

_ I felt a hand on my shoulder. _

 

**EMIZU:** … W-where are you going?

 

**NATSUKA:** Bed.

 

**EMIZU:** Come on, y-you have to help us find an exit! 

 

**NATSUKA:** … Why do you always have to be so optimistic?

There’s no happy ending here.

All of us are going to end up dead.

 

**EMIZU:** …

 

**NATSUKA:** … Me, you, everyone else…

We’re just victims waiting to happen. We all die.

The end.

There’s no point in trying to fight it.

 

**EMIZU:** [She looks like she’s about to cry.] … 

 

_ …  _

_ …… _

_ ……. _

 

_ I turned to her, my brows lowered, not furrowed. _

 

**NATSUKA:** … So just let me die. Like everyone else.

 

_ My shoulder was cold without her hand rested on it. _

 

_ I try not to think about what she felt as I turned my back to her. _

 

\---

 

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN.**

**CHAPTER 1, DAILY LIFE: OF MARTYRS AND DEVILS**

**START!!**

 

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk heres some polls  
> first killer- http://www.strawpoll.me/13137589/r  
> first victim- http://www.strawpoll.me/13137590/r  
> UPDATE (December 23rd, 2017)  
> https://imgur.com/a/7Zb7P
> 
> here are the updated refs for all the characters! this is also the trial order (natsuka is next to Tsubasa and Kuukiko etc. etc.) a lot of these don't match the descriptions in this chapter. im planning on rewriting it tbh
> 
>  
> 
> FIC UPDATE!  
> I removed the racist shit from Ota's description.


	2. Extra: Report Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dabs

REPORT CARDS 

 

 

01.| Natsuka Hino 

“I would pay a significant amount of money for you to go away right now.”

 

A sarcastic and closed off girl who’s intelligence and well-trained memory have helped her through her life. Natsuka has loved flowers ever since she was a little girl, and runs an online store where people buy them. She can almost immediately tell you what type of flower you’re describing, and she can name them in an instant if you give her a picture.

 

Height: 5’3”

Weight: 102 lbs.

Appearance: She has a willowy, pale frame adorned with straight black hair (that has a lock of hair that she can never comb down) and black eyes. She wears an overall-dress over a minty green button up that’s been accessorized with a red tie. You’ll never catch her without her rain-boots, and even less so without her blue and white striped stockings. She has a mole under her left eye.

 

Likes: Stuffed Animals, Overalls

Dislikes: Extroversion, Green Tea

Birthday: August 28th [Virgo]

Blood Type: O

Special Notes: Ultimate Florist.

 

Trivia:

  * Natsuka, despite working with plants, has severe (but non-lethal) environmental allergies.
  * She doesn’t like green tea, but drinks it so she doesn’t turn into an anxious mess every other minute.



 

 

\--

 

02.| Tsubasa Komatsu 

“Being a dick is all fine or whatever, but some people don’t get when to stop.”

 

The popular dancer Tsubasa Komatsu is well known for his uncharacteristic grace and snarky attitude towards people who disagree with him. He’s performed in several musicals and plays, but he’s most popular for his rendition of The Nutcracker, in which he played the Nutcracker. Outside of work, Tsubasa is inconsiderate, but you couldn’t call him impolite, seeing as how he treats people with common decency.

 

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 258 lbs.

Appearance: Tsubasa is fairly tall and very overweight. He has fair (if a bit flushed) skin, dyed pink hair and blue eyes. He wears light blue jeggings (ugh) and a pink hoodie that has a single gray stripe. His shirt is composed of the same material as a ballerina’s unitard, and he wears shoes that are used for ballet. Tsubasa also wears his trademark choker around his neck.

 

Likes: Romantic Comedies, Tight Spaces

Dislikes: Death Metal, Founding Fathers

Birthday: July 22nd [Leo]

Blood Type: AB

Special Notes: Ultimate Ballet Dancer

 

Trivia:

  * Tsubasa’s favorite color is pink, and he dislikes most greens.
  * He’s very active on social media, and is actually verified on twitter.



 

 

\--

 

03.| Aiko Hibarayashi 

“Get charmed!”

 

The eccentric, fashionable occultist who’s knowledge of demons and rituals is rivaled only by her knowledge of the latest trends. Though good at heart, Aiko can be vain, rude, and manipulative, even if she tries not to be. Her talent is mostly derived from her obsessive collecting of occultic artifacts and intense memorization of several rituals, and she claims to have been a spirit medium at one point.

 

Height: 5’2”

Weight: 105 lbs.

Appearance: Aiko has dark skin and long, wavy, blonde hair. Her eyes are blue and shiny. She’s placed a knitted cap on top of her hair delicately. She wears a pink sleeveless hoodie and a pink bra. The hoodie is basically useless, since she zips it down nearly all the way, showcasing her jean shorts. She decorates her legs with black stockings and blue sneakers. Aiko has a satchel around her torso and a gray strap of cloth below her chest.

 

Likes: Horror Manga, Cosmetics

Dislikes: Warm Clothes, Flimsy pillows

Birthday: April 21st [Aries]

Blood Type: O

Special Notes: Ultimate Occultist

 

Trivia-

  * Despite claiming not to be afraid of animals, she will immediately leave the room if there’s one in it.
  * Her favorite Mangaka is Junji Ito.



 

 

\--

 

04.| Miyako Hirai 

“Oh dear… well that isn’t very good, now is it?”

 

Despite her gothic appearance reminiscent of a victorian noblewoman, Miyako is socially awkward and unconfident, which is noticeable even through her mask. Her puppetry is renowned for how amazingly she portrays individual body language. Despite that, Miyako is eccentric and passionate, even with her occasional social awkwardness. She has a presence on the internet with her online show, _“The Totally Odd and Incredibly Unordinary Life of Shikuko Chichiyaku”_ , a comedy/drama series detailing the life of Shikuko Chichiyaku, a goth girl who goes on several misadventures with a wide range of characters. The show is told entirely through Miyako’s puppeteering.

 

Height: 5’4”

Weight: 128 lbs.

Appearance: Miyako is pale with black hair styled endlessly and mildly covering her right eye when looked at straight on. Her eyes appear amber, and she has an upturned nose. Her style is unarguably goth, and she has a very dark dress which she adorns with an orange bow. Her “boots” are actually just blue stockings which get more firm near the bottom, and she’s put strange angel wings on them. She accessorizes her hair with a beret occasionally (as seen in her image.)

 

Likes: Painting, Pretty birds

Dislikes: Authority figures, Forgetting her things

Birthday: June 9th [Gemini]

Blood Type: O

Special Notes: Ultimate Puppeteer

 

Trivia:

  * Miyako has been fined for shoplifting several times, mostly for things like makeup and contacts.
  * In elementary school, everyone would constantly get her name wrong and think it was “Miya Kohira.” This didn’t stop until her brother came to her class one day and got very confused.



 

 

\--

 

05.| Ota Oguro 

“Oh _come on_ dude.”

 

A hypermasculine strongman with a mean right hook. He's rough, tough, big and buff, don’t screw with him or you’ll get a shattered femur. Renowned for being able to bench-press over 700 lbs and winning several weightlifting competitions because of it, you couldn’t say his talent as the Ultimate Weightlifter doesn’t fit. As much as he’d like you to think on the contrary, he does have his fair share of insecurities.

 

Height: 6’8”

Weight: 427 lbs.

Appearance: Ota has dark skin and pink-red eyes. His nose is flat and broad, and his lips are full. His most noticeable feature is probably his mouth, which has two canines sticking out of his lower jaw. His hair is naturally black, but he’s shaved it, dyed it mostly blonde, and put the remainder in a mohawk that’s dyed red. Ota is incredibly muscular, but definitely obese. He has a blue jumpsuit (pinstriped) which he’s rolled up both the arms and legs to. His chest is decorated with two dog tags on a necklace. He wears geta on his feet, and there’s a bell tied on his ankle. Ota has six piercings, two on either side of his face, and one in each ear. He wears a pink-red t-shirt with the pattern of a sun on it. His voice is deep and kind of roar-y.

 

Likes: Cookies, Locker rooms

Dislikes: Teachers, Papercuts

Birthday: December 15th [Sagittarius]

Blood Type: B

Special Notes: Ultimate Weightlifter

Trivia:

  * Back home, he’s notorious for his cast-iron stomach.


  * As long as it’s pretty to look at, Ota can enjoy basically any movie that isn’t horror (or romance, he gets teary-eyed at those).



 

 

\--

 

06.| Daichi Fujikawa 

“Valiance and pride!”

 

A peculiar lad who’s rarely seen outside of his trademark suit of armor. Despite not showing his face, Daichi attempts to be a friend to all of his classmates and rarely does anything for himself. He dedicates himself to being a good person and pays very little attention to his talent, unless someone wants to buy a sword.

 

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 240 lbs.

Appearance: Daichi is rarely (if ever) seen outside of his silver suit of armor, but it can easily be inferred that he’s _incredibly_ muscular and wide. The head has been sculpted to resemble an owl, and has a small feather pointing out of it. Parts of the suit are actually just red cloth, and he wears a flowing red cape to add to his knight aesthetic.

 

Likes: Caesar salad, Exercise

Dislikes: Being cold, Snoring sounds

Birthday: January 2nd [Capricorn]

Blood Type: A

Special Notes: Ultimate Bladesmith

 

Trivia:

  * He really, really likes snails… they’re just so cute… armored.
  * His scarf is for the aesthetic, he can’t actually feel if it makes him any warmer.



 

 

\--

 

07.| Atsukenna Mizuno 

“I’m gonna be the best fuckin’ gardener ever born, then I’ll finally earn my talent!”

 

Atsukenna is a gardener, but you’d never know that just by looking at her. She’s a total rebel, body and soul, she’s loud, proud, rough and tough. Atsukenna has one of the most diverse gardens in Japan, and doesn’t like her talent in the slightest since she feels she didn’t work hard enough for it. Her family is a family of gardeners.

 

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 174 lbs.

Appearance: Atsukenna is tall and busty. She has long, blonde hair (which is naturally black) that also has a lot of blue and pink in it. Her eyes are blue, and she has a medium sized refined nose. She has several accessories. She’s tied a brown bandana around her waist, and she wears an asymmetrical nightgown. She’s torn her right sleeve off, and the left side of her dress ends much higher than the right. She has sandals. Her voice is constantly loud and noticeably rough.

 

Likes: Pillows, Emo bands

Dislikes: Loud music, Getting dirty

Birthday: April 19th [Aries]

Blood Type: B

Special Notes: Ultimate Gardener

 

Trivia-

  * Atsukenna has four brothers, she loves them and they love her, but they consider each other fierce competition.
  * Her favorite flowers are daisies.



 

 

\--

 

08.| Chishiko Kamii 

“Hahaha~! That’s honestly, like, really sad. Dumbass.”

 

Chishiko is cute and small, but her personality contradicts that entirely. Everything about her seems a bit eccentric or over-the-top, even the way she got her talent is weird. Chishiko’s medical abilities rival trained paramedics, and her talent is derived from training cats to administer medical procedures while said paramedics get on the scene. Outside of her work, Chishiko tries to act cute, but she regularly breaks the persona to call someone a “she-dog whore” or an “obese pigman.”

 

Height: 5’0”

Weight: 97 lbs.

Appearance: Chishiko has pale skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. She curls her bangs to give them a softer look, but her hair is naturally straight. She does it in two braids starting at the top of her head held by two ribbons (at the top) and two scrunchies with skull props on them (at the bottom). She wears a black leather jacket with a few pins in it and a pinstriped dark gray american 60’s-esque dress. She has black and white striped stockings and dull brown shoes. Chishiko’s voice is high, half of the time it’s honeyed and singsong, but the other half it’s grating and annoyed.

 

Likes: Cute girls, Roses

Dislikes: Dumb boys, Dogs

Birthday: October 30th [Scorpio]

Blood Type: B  
Special Notes: Ultimate Cat Trainer

 

Trivia:

  * Chishiko is an equal-opportunity cat lover, but her favorites are probably calicos or russian-blues.
  * She’s a talented freerunner, despite thinking it’s stupid and overly masculine.



 

  
\--

 

09.| Emizu Hoshino 

“I think that we can do this… together. With friends, obviously.”

 

Despite the fact that she probably shouldn’t have her specific talent at her age, Emizu Hoshino is a complete goody-two-shoes and is optimistic to a sometimes annoying degree. She’s incredibly casual with everyone she meets, and treats complete strangers like old friends. She has no idea what she’s doing at any point in any given time, but she’s so nice that most people forget that.

 

Height: 5’8”

Weight: 178 lbs

Appearance: Emizu has dark skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. She’s taller than average and noticeably a bit overweight. She has a round face, full lips, and a soft nose. Her attire is the same one she wears everyday: White button-up, black suspenders, black bow tie, black stockings, black skirt, red mary janes. She carries herself with a bit of spunk and curiosity. Her voice is mid-pitch and often used in a dulcet tone.

 

Likes: Suspenders, Funky music

Dislikes: Dehydration, Strawberries  

Birthday: October 7th [Libra]

Blood Type: B

Special Notes: Ultimate Bartender

 

Trivia-

  * Emizu has only gotten drunk once, she vomited in a toilet and fell asleep at 6 PM, so she decided not to do it again.
  * She’s so used to being busy with casual customers all the time that she doesn’t actually know how to be formal.



 

 

\--

 

10.| Yui Kajiwara 

“Behold, the super famous ultra cool sculptor extraordinaire: Yui Kajiwara. Yeaaaah.”

 

Yui is a lazy and unempathetic little girl with delusions of how famous she is. That makes her sound unbearable, but she’s not actually that bad. She rarely expresses any emotion that isn’t basic, like ‘happy’ or ‘eurgh’. Her sculpting abilities are almost flawless, and she’s set and broken the record for “Fastest Quality Sculpture” multiple times. She specializes in sculpting people and animals.

 

Height: 4’10”

Weight: 99 lbs.

Appearance: Yui is small and slight. She has naturally tanned skin, heavily bagged red eyes, and freckles. She wears a blue cloth around her neck and ties her pink hair into fluffy pigtails on either side of her head, using hair-ties styled to look like spiked balls.She wears an overlarge purple coat with green pinstripes. Her chest is covered by a piece of frilly green cloth, exposing her midriff. She wears a pink and black skirt. Her most notable accessories are her cat-ear shaped hat and her pink feather boa.

 

Likes: Ancient Egypt, Sharp things

Dislikes: Dirty floors, Numbness

Birthday: May 1st [Taurus]

Blood Type: A

Special Notes: Ultimate Sculptor

 

Trivia-

  * Yui is autistic.
  * Despite the fact that she really likes cats, she’s allergic to them.



 

 

\--

 

11.| Rouki Hasagawa 

“... Hmph. Your fashion is an eyesore.”

 

Rouki is popular in the fashion community for his original ideas and brutal honesty. Even at his age, he even runs the fashion design to a mega-popular company (Leftlace Fashion Industry), which has gotten off to an amazing start. In his personal life, Rouki is quiet and rude. He usually won’t talk to most people unless they either talk to him first, or they say something dumb. The only other exception to this is when they’re wearing something terrible.

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 115 lbs.

Appearance: Rouki is on the shorter, paler side. His skin has a yellow tinge to it, and his eyes are blue and shifty, never looking at anyone directly. He has a slim frame and a heart-shaped face, adorned with a button nose. His hair is blue and styled in a strange way-- shaved in the middle with a small bush of it in the front, and what’s left at the back tied into a ponytail. He’s never seen without his purple suit and dress pants, as well as his pink tie. His dress-shoes are dull and brown.

 

Likes: Hair products. Bears. (You know which kind.)

Dislikes: Dating sites. People who can’t handle opinions.

Birthday: September 20th [Virgo]

Blood Type: AB

Special Notes: Ultimate Fashion Designer

 

Trivia:

  * Rouki thinks that his hair is unique and artsy, but most people just think it looks dumb.
  * He has the philosophy that “Sometimes, boring can be good.”



 

 

\--

 

12.| Katsuo Sugai 

“... I have a pretty nasty habit of fading into the background.”

 

Katsuo is a quiet boy. He looks very eccentric, even bordering on weird, but he isn’t actually a very interesting person. He cares deeply about most people he meets and wants to show that, so he ends up baking a lot for people. Katsuo’s talent comes from his incredibly detailed and remarkable baked goods-- he’s very good at most cooking most baked goods, but he specializes in cakes.

 

Height: 4’7”

Weight: 110 lbs

Appearance: Katsuo is extremely short and squat. He’s mostly muscle, but not entirely so. His skin is tanned and his eyes are green. Katsuo’s hair is naturally a darker red, but he’s dyed part of it pink and shaved the other part, giving him a pretty cool undercut. Katsuo wears a beige turtleneck underneath a blue leather jacket. His pants are brown and his boots are black.

 

Likes: Motorcycles, Lollipops

Dislikes: Roller Coasters, Dirty Pillows

Birthday: February 22nd

Blood Type: AB

Special Notes: Ultimate Baker

 

Trivia:

  * Katsuo is one of the only students who has any kind of driver’s license.
  * When outside, Katsuo always wears sunglasses, since his eyes are very sensitive.



 

 

\--

 

13.| Shiori Maeda 

“D-don’t be worried! I-I-I’ll try to b-be there in the nick of time!”

 

Shiori is an anxious wreck with a severe stutter. She’s awkward and socially anxious, rarely refusing a request of any magnitude because she just wants to see people smile. Back at her old school, she would do anything from doing your homework to spying on people for you as long as you congratulated her. Despite that, Shiori is _incredibly_ competent. She has an amazing memory and a wide range of skills, including note taking, cooking, housekeeping, and providing medical assistance.

 

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 164 lbs.

Appearance: Shiori is taller and wider than most girls. Her bright blue hair is wild and reaches just above her waist, her skin is dark and her eyes are aquamarine. Shiori’s nose is noticeably small and wide. She has a black, pinstriped suit jacket and a gray button-up, both with purple accents. She has a purple skirt and dull blue-green leggings. Her shoes are brown.

 

Likes: Binders, Family outings

Dislikes: Self-centered people, Peanutbutter

Birthday: March 3rd [Pisces]

Blood Type: B  
Special Notes: Ultimate Secretary

 

Trivia:

  * Shiori thinks that she might have some kind of photographic memory. She’s not going to brag, though.


  * Despite the fact that her name is Shiori Maeda, she’s actually entirely Indian. She was adopted by a japanese family.



 

 

\--

 

14.| Ren Takemoto 

“Haha. What the hell, dude.”

 

Ren is a matchmaker, but he doesn’t act like it whatsoever. You’d probably find someone like him more suited to be at home on their computer. Ren constantly references western pop culture, which no one aside from him gets. He rarely takes anything seriously, and he’s pretty impulsive too. Ren runs a blog where people send in two characters and he assesses how suitable they would be for a pairing. Eventually, people started sending in real people, which is how he got his talent as a matchmaker.

 

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 130 lbs.

Appearance: Ren is _very_ lean and a little tall. His blue eyes are framed by squared glasses. Ren’s hair is red and slightly wavy, and he wears it in a short style. Sometimes he’ll let it stick up to make him feel like an anime protagonist (see picture) His face is delicate, and he has a button nose. Ren wears a green coat that’s at least two sizes too big for him, and he wears blue jeans. He often wears headphones, and only occasionally wears them on ears (see picture), normally they rest on his neck. He has red sneakers, and a blue shirt with the symbol of a duck on it.

 

Likes: KPop, Video games

Dislikes: Sad endings, Pairings that have a terrible dynamic yet are still popular somehow

Birthday: February 27th [Aquarius]

Blood Type: A

Special Notes: Ultimate Matchmaker

 

Trivia:

  * Ren is fluent in English and talks with several people from across the globe in group chats related to his favorite games
  * His favorite genre is mystery.



 

  
\--

 

15.| Kiyoshi Arita 

“Don’t be an idiot, you idiot.”

 

Kiyoshi is overly critical and generally disagreeable. He has a definite ego, and constantly considers himself the smartest person in the room. His talent is creative, but he thinks that being logical and objective is the solution to every problem. As a result, he has no idea how to deal with his own emotions and lashes out at people who make him have any. His talent is derived from him organizing a charity event where he knitted over two hundred sweaters, scarves, and mittens, etc.

 

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 190 lbs.

Appearance: Kiyoshi is a well-muscled and pale guy. He has a mole under his left eye, which is violet. His hair is blonde, but he’s dyed the top part pink. He wears a pink, knitted trench coat over a grey button-up. His trademark accessory is his red scarf, which he never takes off. His pants are purple and striped, while his dress shoes are a very unsaturated shade of violet.

 

Likes: Chalk, Silk

Dislikes: Coffee creamer, Class novels

Birthday: November 17th [Scorpio]

Blood Type: AB

Special Notes: Ultimate Knitter

 

Trivia:

  * Kiyoshi’s favorite subject is Math, while his least favorite is Japanese
  * He gets motion sick pretty easily.



 

 

\--

 

16.| Kuukiko Kawakami 

“Hihihi! You’re next, asshat!”

 

A narcissistic troublemaker who takes pride in being ungodly annoying to everyone he meets. Kuukiko always wants to see how people react to his antics, so he goes above and beyond with the ones who are particularly sensitive to that kind of thing. He doesn’t care if he gets decked a few times in the process-- it’s fun being hated!

 

Height: 5’1”

Weight: 107 lbs.

Appearance: Kuukiko is pale and skinny. He has bright green eyes and pink hair, and he’s usually seen with a mischievous smile on his face. He has a scar below each eye, and its currently unknown if it’s a real scar. He intentionally styles his hair to look like horns and wears a purple bandana with green goggles. Kuukiko sports a skin-tight bodysuit below a baggy, stitched-together jumpsuit of purple and pink-maroon. He has brown boots and an almost singsong high-pitched voice.

 

Likes: Sensitive people, Neon colors

Dislikes: Portable bathrooms, Bagels

Birthday: July 15th [Cancer]

Blood Type: B

Special Notes: Ultimate Toxicologist

 

Trivia:

  * There was once a rumor that Kuukiko was born in a port-a-potty. Kuukiko has intentionally left the answer to this ambiguous.
  * Kuukiko pretends to be a health nut to get on people’s nerves, but he actually couldn’t care less what he puts into his body.



 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 4/5/18 6:02 AM!


	3. [1] Daily Life: Of Martyrs and Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natsuka feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so short yall aiudn asd  
> hope you enjoy some quality angst and gay shit bros B)  
> CONTENT WARNINGS-  
> Joking mention of AIDS (wow thanks natsuka)  
> Perfectionist Parents (minor) (WOW THANKS NATSUKA)  
> pretty intense insults said in a harmonic tone  
> i think thats it???  
> if i missed anything please tell me!!

**CHAPTER 1- OF MARTYRS AND DEVILS** _  
_

**START**

_I barely remembered anything after that._

_Aside from the collective expression of unadulterated horror slowly creeping through their faces, it had all slipped from my mind in a foggy cloud of disarray.._

_… And the shouting. Even when your vision is clouded from the fog, water vapor can’t stop those sounds, and neither could the haze in my eyes. Shouting out their denial, shouting out their fear. There was just so, so much shouting._

_The next thing that I knew, I was back in my room at the mattress store. It was the same as how I remembered it. The flowers on the walls, the soft, clean bed, all of it. I had gone to bed around thirty minutes after I’d gotten up, which was probably around five or six PM, since everyone was up and fine. I must have woken up during the dark morning._

_I glanced at the clock-- two AM. I was right, it was in the dark morning. That means I’ll be more aware to protect myself from anyone who might be trying to--_  
_No. No one is going to murder anyone. I know it, and I won’t die first. I’m stronger than that. I’m going to survive this, everyone’s going to…_ _  
That’s not true. Eventually someone will let their emotions control them and commit a murder. They’ll give into their longing for the outside world and let their hands move on their own. It’ll happen, no matter how much hope I try to manifest, I can’t stop the inevitable._

_No one could even attempt to stop this._

_So why should I?  
Why should I be a hero when no one else cares about me enough to be mine? _

_I shouldn’t._

_So I won’t even try to stop it._

_No one can stop the inevitable, and I’m not an exception.  
I didn’t bother putting on my shoes before I walked outside of my room. Everyone else is probably asleep. Or dead. That doesn’t matter right now. I walked out of the mattress store, hoping my eyes got adjusted to the darkness soon enough. _

_I wandered around the store, hoping to find something new. The food court was locked, but the stores weren’t. On every escalator, there was an electric fence that shocks you when you touch it the slightest bit. You couldn’t climb it unless you had some insane willpower… or a death wish._

_I probably look like a murderer right now. I should go into a store or something. Pasteland was an appealing place to go in the middle of the night, since it’s the most adorable place in the entire store. So I went there._ _  
_ _Of course, it was dark, but my eyes were starting to adjust to the light. I didn’t want to alert anyone that I might be there, so I kept the lights off_

_As I walked around Pasteland, I spotted the cutest little stuffed cat. It was like a little tiger. It was absolutely adorable. I loved it._

_Tok tok tok tok_

_Oh._ _  
_ _My fight or flight response was triggering. Fight was the worse option, so obviously, my body had to choose fight._

_Tok tok tok tok_

_I finally got my feet to move and walked to the nearest pile of stuffed animals to hide, I tried to put myself into the pile of softness._ _  
_ _Tok tok tok tok_

 _I was scared. The pit in my stomach kept growing as my thoughts kept racing and racing with regret. And finally…_ _  
_ **???:** … Natsuka?

 _It was Emizu._ _  
_ **Emizu:** What are you doing up so late? A-are you okay? Did something happen?

_She put her hands on me and let her own warmth seep onto my cold fabric-covered shoulders. Her gaze stared at me with a motherly passion, worried and caring._

**Natsuka:** It’s… nothing. I just woke up and I didn’t really want to go back to sleep.  
**Emizu:** O-Okay, good.  
**Natsuka:** … Why are _you_ up?  
**Emizu:** I needed to patrol the halls. Simple, man.  
**Natsuka:** … What exactly happened after the bear announced… it.  
**Emizu:** Uh… not much. He said he could add rules whenever he wanted, and we just kinda… tried to make sense of everything.

 **Emizu:** So basically nothing. You didn’t miss much.  
**Natsuka:** … Very well then.

 _I looked into Emizu’s eyes. They were so cold… but they were filled with such warmth. Like a blue sky on an august afternoon, where you just lay on the grass and look at the flowers. I could almost feel the sun shining and warming my face--_  
_Wait. I_ **_can_ ** _feel that. That’s not sunlight. That’s blush. Oh God fucking dammit not this again. Am I overtired? Just desperate for affection, or am I legitimately attracted to her? Ugh. Annoying._  
**Emizu:** Are you feeling okay? You’re looking kinda flushed.  
**Natsuka:** It’s probably the bubonic plague or AIDS or something, now I-I’m gonna go and do something else. Bye.

 _I attempted to walk away before she grabbed my hand._ _  
_ **Emizu:** Hey, what’s up?

 **Natsuka:** I legitimately just said it was nothi- the bubonic plague or AIDS or- just _…_ stop.

 **Emizu:** You do realize that I’m a bartender, right? I know when you’re trying to get out of something, I’ve seen way too many bar fights for you to even attempt to trick me.

 **Natsuka:** … Fine. You want the truth? I am absolutely terrified of everything that’s going on right now. The… killing game, the electric fencing, you-  
_And I stopped. This is why I don’t like sharing. I always go too far with it. I’d rather have an awkward silence than be yelled at._

 **Emizu:** …Me?  
**Natsuka:** It’s hard to explain, so I’d rather not explain.  
_She hadn’t let go of my hand. It was so warm. YOU’RE NOT HELPING, HAND._

 **Emizu:** …Okay. I won’t make you.

 **Natsuka:** …Thank you.

 **Natsuka:** Also, how the hell would bar fights contribute to intuition?

 **Emizu:** Heh, you’d be surprised.  
_She let go of my hand. We talked for a while about our feelings about our situation, it wasn’t interesting, but it helped._  
_A little more than I was willing to admit, to be honest._ _  
I went back to my room and tried to get some beauty sleep before I had to wake up._

 

_CRACKLE-CRACK-KRTZZ-_

**Monokuma:** Hello hello my beautiful students and/or consumers! It’s seven AM, which means it's the perfect time to discover a body- I mean, wake up!  
_Hm?_ _  
_ **Natsuka:** … What…?

 _I decided to get up and wipe my eyes._  
_I opened the door and went to the food court to get some breakfast._  
_People come in at their own times, it’s like it’s own personality trait._  
_Some people are always punctual and on time, like Emizu, Miyako, Daichi, Katsuo and I._  
_More people are a bit more laid back, most popular kids fit into this category. In this class, there’s Aiko, Ren, Tsubasa, Rouki and Atsukenna._

 _Some are just constantly confused, like Ota and surprisingly, Shiori._  
_And many legitimately don’t even give a shit, like Kiyoshi, Kuukiko, Chishiko, and Yui._

_I sat safely in the background as many conversations played out._

**Aiko:** God, do you ever shut up?  
**Chishiko:** Haha! Why should I shut up for a worthless toilet clogging satanic she-bitch like you?

_She still had that exact same insanely melodic and friendly voice as always. Someone who wasn’t paying attention would’ve thought that was a compliment._

**Rouki:** … Holy fucking shit, man.

 **Daichi:** Twas rather vulgar, Maiden Kamii.  
**Natsuka:** … Why do you call everyone else by their last name?  
**Daichi:** Hm?  
**Natsuka:** You called me “Maiden Natsuka” when I introduced myself. You just called her “Maiden Kamii.” Why?  
**Daichi:** E-Erm… if you must know, I… erm…

 **Daichi:** Forgot your surname…

 **Natsuka:** … *Sigh*, it’s Hino. My name is Natsuka Hino.

 **Kuukiko:** Woow Daichi, do you even have a brain in that armor? Hihi~

 **Daichi:** I’ll have you know I am gifted in mathematics, Sir Kawakami.

_The back and forth between them kept going and going. It wasn’t really too interesting, honestly._

**Shiori:** U-Um, everyone! Has a-anyone made any new discoveries? L-like, in the area.

 **Natsuka:** The escalators are all covered by an electric fence.  
**Emizu:** Eh… no offense, Natsuka, but we already know that.  
_My face felt warm. Embarrassment, hopefully._  
**Shiori:** A-anyone else?  
_No one spoke up._  
**Shiori:** Mm… disappointing.

_The rest of breakfast was entirely uneventful. I shrugged off the constant fear of being murdered or being tempted into murder and walked into my room._

_I sat at the desk by the bed in my room, tending to the flowers on it._

_Ding-Dong!_  
_It had been a little while after I came into the room, so I was a bit surprised that someone was going through my door._  
_I went to open the door and saw-_  
_God fucking dammit._  
**Emizu:** Hi, Natsuka!  
**Natsuka:** … Hello.

 _It was her again. For some unexplained reason, her hands were behind her back._ _  
_ **Natsuka:** What do you want?

_I could feel the slimy bitterness crawl out of my throat like a mess of blood and saliva. Not pleasant._

**Emizu:** Well, you seem kinda down, so I wanted to hang out, I guess. Heh.  
**Natsuka:** Then why not talk to Shiori? She’s always screaming about something.

 **Emizu:** Shiori is just clumsy and socially awkward. Plus, Atsukenna’s with her at _Take 2!_ Right now.

 **Natsuka:** … So you’re saying I’m less stable than Kuukiko?

 **Emizu:** … Heh… y-yeah.

 **Natsuka:** … Ugh. Fine. Luckily enough I actually enjoy spending time with you.

 **Emizu:** Oh, good.  
_She looked around my room and admired all the decorations. Even though I hadn’t actually decorated the room at all, it felt nice to see her smile…_  
_Oh my god. Natsuka Y. Hino. Stop that. Stop that right now._ _  
… God fucking dammit my inner monologue is turning into my mother._

_She came in and I closed the door. She sat on the bed, so I did too._

**Emizu:** … So how’d you get your talent.  
**Natsuka:** My talent? Why are you asking that?  
**Emizu:** Cuz I wanna get to know you better. That’s all.

 **Natsuka:** … It’s a long story, I guess.

 **Emizu:** We’re gonna be here for a while, so long stories aren’t like, bad.

 **Natsuka:** … Okay, fine.

 **Natsuka:** When I was little, I always liked flowers. You know, like a normal girl. I thought they were pretty and that was that.  
**Natsuka:** My parents were perfectionists. They always wanted the best out of me. Best grades, best smile, just the best.  
**Natsuka:** They never really complimented me, and that was that.  
**Natsuka:** But… but one day, I made a flower crown. It wasn’t the best or anything, it was just made from my favorite flowers in our garden.  
**Natsuka:** So I went up to my mom and I greeted her, and she said… “You look beautiful.”

 **Natsuka:** “You look beautiful.” That… that was it. Just…  “You look beautiful.”  
**Natsuka:** And… and after that I… I felt beautiful. I realized that other people thought I looked beautiful… and that I could share that feeling with other people.  
**Natsuka:** … I don’t like sharing that story, honestly. It makes people think that I'm something that I’m just _…_ not.  
**Emizu:** … What’s that?  
**Natsuka:** Nice… I’m not nice. I’m abrasive and… I can’t handle emotions and I-I’m not empathetic or sweet or-or kind or-  
**Emizu:** No. You’re not.  
**Natsuka:** … What?  
**Emizu:** I don’t really know how much you’ve changed… but…  
**Emizu:** You’re definitely not horrible. You’re just… hard on yourself.

 **Emizu:** I mean, if you were awful, then...  
**Emizu:** Why would I get you this?  
_She pulled that exact same tiger plush from the night before from behind her back._  
**Natsuka: _ **…** _**  
_I’d hate to admit it… but…_  
_That was the first time anyone’s ever said that to me._  
_That I wasn’t a void that disintegrated every positive emotion around me. That I wasn’t just another stuck-up bitch._  
_… It felt nice._  

 _She was so, so warm, and she said that I was too. Even if I knew she was lying, that someone cared enough about me to lie about that. She really could always find a positive in anything, honestly. I’m her opposite, I’m just a broken mess of sarcasm and bitterness that she cared about enough to try and help… and I think it was working._  
_Her hand was close enough to mine on that bed that we were sitting on that I could feel how warm she was. I could almost feel her caring heat go into my veins. Even if I’m broken, I looked into her eyes…_  
_And everything was whole again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ORIENTATIONS CONFIRMED THIS CHAPTER-  
> Natsuka- Pan, with a heavily feminine preference.  
> __  
> Who's your fave so far?- http://www.strawpoll.me/13151952  
> This was really weird to write, since I'm basically just kind of stalling until the murder happens by making some gay shit. Fun. It's gonna be intense bro.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoy this little filler chapter, I guess.


	4. [2] Daily Life: Of Martyrs and Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natsuka tries to talk with people, and Monokuma does a special performance for the gang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNINGS-  
> Some Mentions and Demonstrations of Fatshaming (Which are mostly disapproved of and treated as mean)  
> Parents in Car Accidents (Mentioned)  
> I think that's it  
> \--  
> I'm lowkey really proud of this chapter tbh adjaskd  
> enjoy if u can

_I woke up feeling warm and lethargic._

_I had no idea if any of the things that happened the night before were true or just my desperate imagination making things up-_ _  
_ _Until I looked in my hands and saw that same adorable stuffed tiger. The only proof  that I wasn’t just a snob in everyone else’s eyes. Right there. In the form of a housecat-sized stuffed animal, right in my hands._

_I looked at the clock- 9 AM. God fucking dammit. I slept in._

_I walked out the door and into the food court, taking the stuffed animal with me._

_Almost everyone was there, there was only one person missing._

**Emizu:** Hey, Natsuka!!

 **Natsuka:** Hello, hello.

 **Kuukiko:** Hihi~ Really, Natsuka? You slept in so badly that you forgot you brought your stuffie? How childish can you be?  
**Chishiko:** I don’t blame her, honestly. I mean, she’s like every other snobby tsundere asswipe in the world, just some dumb baby on the inside~  
**Natsuka:** Shut up. I slept in for entirely different reasons than what you're thinking. 

 **Rouki:** You two are basically the same person. If we shut one the fuck up, will the other be shut the fuck up as well?  
**Katsuo:** I’m… not sure that’s how that works.

 **Atsukenna:** Kuukiko is far fucking worse, bro. Chishiko is like a worker bee, just a part of the hive mind.

 **Chishiko:** Hey hey!

_Chishiko climbed on top of her table, her foot narrowly avoiding Kuukiko’s pancakes._

**Chishiko:** I am my own individual, not like your Generic Rebellious Teenager ass! Seriously, get an actual identity~!

 **Atsukenna:** W-!?

 **Yui:** Harsh…  
**Daichi:** Maiden Kamii! Please do not fall from that table! It is rather tall for an individual of your height!

 **Rouki:** Are you just ignoring what she just said?  
**Tsubasa:** Probably.  
**Kuukiko:** Hihi~ Daichi is probably so dumb he didn’t even hear i-

 _Oh, yeah, someone was missing. I almost forgot that, to be honest._ __  
_Toktoktoktoktoktoktoktok_  
TOK

 **_BLWALALOW_ ** **_  
_ ** **_SKKRTTZZZZ_ **

_The scene in front of me was… weird as all hell._ __  
_Standing on Kuukiko’s face was Aiko Hibarayashi, with a look of intense loathing on her face._  
_Aiko Hibarayashi just drop kicked Kuukiko._

 **Aiko:** That’s what you get for being a little shit, fucker.  
_She kicked him and then walked to an empty seat next to Tsubasa, leaving the rest of us stunned in silence._

 **Chishiko:** … Whom the fuck?

 **Daichi:** That was rather rude, Maiden Hibarayashi.

 **Atsukenna:** But can you say that that thot didn’t deserve it?  
**Shiori:** Uh… w-what’s a tho-  
**Kuukiko:** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-  
_Aiko tried to look cool, but it was very apparent that she was bothered by the large amount of screaming coming from behind her._

 **Chishiko:** Who wants to kill the satanic disgusting homicidal dumbass before she murders one of us? Say I~!  
**Kuukiko:** IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-  
**Aiko:** Shut the fuck up, bitch, I can send you to the underworld!

_This is tiring._

**Katsuo:** Now, now friends, let's not get too violent now.  
_He walked in between Chishiko and Aiko, despite being the shortest person here, he was surprisingly intimidating due his low voice and confident stance._ _  
_ **Chishiko:** I’ll get violent whenever I want~! After all, I shouldn’t listen to a fat midget who lives off of other people’s compliments~!

_Katsuo’s stance wavered and I could see his face turn red. Chishiko is just horrid, isn’t she?_

**Shiori:** Ch-Chishiko, th-that’s very ru-

 **Ota:** CHISHIKO, YOU CAN EASILY TELL THAT HE’S MOSTLY MUSCLE!!  
**Shiori:** AH!

 **Chishiko:** Bleh, of course _you’d_ say that, tubs~  
**Natsuka:** I will dropkick you myself.

 **Ren:** Don’t fatshame, kids, you’ll get dropkicked.

 **Aiko:** Isn’t that, like, my job? Not dropkicking fatshamers, but like, dropkicking in general.  
**Kuukiko:** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-  
**Aiko:** As evidenced by that.

_The entire rest of the morning was uneventful. At least compared to that bit._

_I decided that I probably shouldn’t spend the day staring at flowers, so I walked out of my room and went to Noble & Braun’s… _

_And there was Aiko again. Looking at a book with a pentacle on it._ __  
_I decided to greet her._  
**Aiko:** Ugh, this book is so drab. They keep painting paganism in a negative light and It’s honestly hella gross.

_I listened to Aiko rant about the misconceptions about paganism in the book. She really does treat this occult business far more casually than most people._

**Natsuka:** … Aiko, why exactly did you become an Occultist?  
**Aiko:** Oh, it’s pretty simple really. I just found it cool, I guess… but Occultist wasn’t exactly my first talent.  
**Natsuka:** First talent?  
**Aiko:** Well…

 **Aiko:** The original talent I was scouted for was the Ultimate Cosmetics Collector, actually.

 **Natsuka:** … And how did you stop having that talent?  
**Aiko:** Well, less stopped, more never had. The second they came into my room they knew I was way better at Occultic shit than collecting makeup.

 **Aiko:** Honestly, I prefer Occultist to Cosmetics Collector. Occultist makes me sound like hot shit, but Cosmetics Collector? It makes me sound like a god damned twelve-year-old.

 **Natsuka:** Cosmetics Collector makes you sound like a cosmetics collector. Talents have no personalities, only the personalities of the people who possess them.

 **Aiko:** … Woah, man. That’s poetic as hell.

 **Natsuka:** It’s not. At all. What sort of poems have you read.

 **Aiko:** Well, whatever. Your turn, why are you a Florist?  
**Natsuka:** …  
**Natsuka:** I only share that with special cases.

 **Aiko:** Oh. That’s chill, I guess.

_I feel like I understand Aiko a bit more now._

_I spent some more time with Aiko talking about how horrible that book was before we said goodbye as I walked out of the library._  
_Seems like there’s still some time in the day… I might as well go talk to someone else, I guess._

 _I walked to PumpIt! To talk to someone I would normally never interact with, as I’m probably going to die soon._ _  
_ _In the room was Ota, lifting a weight that was probably more than two times heavier than me with relative ease._

 **Ota:** Ay, Natsuka, what’re you doin’ here?  
**Natsuka:** Interacting with people I’d usually never even bother to look at. Only one person here actually enjoys my company, so I’m probably dying soon.  
**Ota:** … That’s pretty fucked, bro.

_I spent time with Ota sitting on his back while he did push ups and made some smalltalk. He was pretty comfortable aside from the musk._

**Ota:** That was actually… pretty fun. ‘S nice to talk to someone while you’re workin’ out.  
**Natsuka:** Speaking of, why did you choose to be a weightlifter? As in, why did you set your eyes on that goal?  
**Ota:** … Erm…

 **Ota:** M’ Dad.

 _Is that it?_  
**Ota:** Aight, I know it sounds bad, but that’s it.  
**Ota:** He’s always wanted me t’ be strong ‘n big ‘n stuff, so I just kinda… went along with it.  
**Ota:** He got into a car accident when he was young, so he lost one of his arms, and he couldn’t lift stuff anymore.

 **Ota:** Sooo he left it t’ me. Nothin’ much.  
**Natsuka:** So you’re basically just living your life for your dad?  
**Ota:** … Yeeeaaahh basically…  
**Natsuka:** That’s sad, honestly.

 **Ota:** W- No! It’s honorable as hell!

 **Natsuka:** … No?

 **Ota:** W-whatever, it’s honorable t’ me, so I’ll keep doin’ it! I like bein’ big!  
_Don’t say “Which type of big” don’t say “Which type of big” don’t say “Which type of big”-_ _  
_ _I don’t want to have to dropkick MYSELF. I restrained from making that comment, even if it was just SO OBVIOUS. UGH._

 **Natsuka:** Well, it’s your decision, even if it’s a stupid one.

 **Ota:** … Thanks? You’re actually kinda chill, Natsuka.

 **Natsuka:** Oh, don’t say that. That’s almost as bad as saying that I’m nice.

 **Ota:** Ya kinda are, though.  
**Natsuka:** What did I _just_ say?

_I spent some more time talking with Ota as I “Helped” him with workouts, such as laying on his feet when he wanted to do situps, or sitting on a dumbbell._

_Ding dong, bing bong!_ __  
_Monokuma’s face appeared on the monitors inside the gym._  
**Monokuma:** Hello hello my beautiful students and/or consumers! It’s ten PM, so that means you need to go to bed- or murder someone, if you’d like.  
**Monokuma:** But wait, there’s more! Before you do that, come to the main plaza! I have a veeery special announcement for you all! Come or die!

_… A very special announcement…?_

**Natsuka:** Oh, joy. This is probably something great that is in no way going to end in death. Wowie.

 **Ota:** Let’s just… uh, go. Yeah.  
_I walked to the main plaza with Ota, we were one of the first ones there aside from Daichi and Emizu._ _  
_ _Sooner or later, all of the students arrived, the weight in my stomach slowly getting heavier and heavier, and I slowly felt a cold sweat roll down my face._

 _The whole plaza was dead silent… until._ _  
_ **Monokuma:** HEY HEY! IS EVERYONE HERE?

 **Shiori:** Y-yes! I counted them all!  
**Kuukiko:** Hihi~ Why are you telling _him_ that?

 **Monokuma:** Now now kids, shut the hell your mouths and listen the hell your ears!

 **Ren:** How do you know that meme?

 **Monokuma:** I SAID SHUT THE HELL YOUR MOUTH, WEEABOO!  
**Aiko:** We’re japanese you soulless cu-  
**Monokuma:** SHUT.

 **Monokuma:** Well now that that’s over with-

 **Monokuma:** I’m going to need someone from the audience for this announcement!  
_He scanned the crowd and pointed his black paw at someone in the audience-_ _  
_ **Monokuma:** THOTSUKENNA MIZUNO! Come up!

_Atsukenna opened her mouth in shock, took a shaky breath, and walked up to the platform._

**Monokuma:** Now, Atsukenna, you’ll be playing the part of “Unsuspecting Student Number One!” You don’t need a script, just react to my lines naturally,  
**Monokuma:** I’ll be playing the role of “Supreme Grand Headmaster!” Ready?

_Atsukenna was clearly not ready. She didn’t respond._

_Monokuma walked off of the stage and walked back on again._

**Monokuma:** Why hello there Ms. Unsuspecting Student Number One! How did you enjoy Hope’s Peak Academy?  
**Atsukenna:** I-I have not been there yet, fucker.  
**Monokuma:** Whaaaat!? You mean to tell me you don’t remember your first two years at Hope’s Peak Academy?

 **Atsukenna:** … What? I just fucking told you bitch, I haven’t been to Hope’s Peak!  
**Monokuma:** Oh, this is truly, truly, truly outrageous! Oops, sorry, I meant truly, truly, truly dreadful!  
**Monokuma:** Do you even remember walking into Hope’s Peak Academy? Have your memories been jammed even up to that point!?  
**Atsukenna:** Yeah! I walked into the gates and then that’s when you kidnapped me! You probably drugged me or some bullshit!

 **Monokuma:** **_Are you absolutely sure about that…?_ **

**Atsukenna:** Y-yes, I am.  
**Monokuma:** Oh, I need to ask Unsuspecting Students Numbers Two Through Sixteen  about this!

 _He turned his plush body towards us, his red eye looking horrifying as ever._ __  
**Monokuma:** Unsuspecting Students Numbers Two Through Sixteen! Do you remember your first two years of Hope’s Peak Academy?  
_… No one answered._  
**Natsuka:** O-of course not! We’ve never been to Hope’s Peak because you kidnapped us!

 **Monokuma:** You walked into Hope’s Peak Academy and suddenly feel a jolt of head pain and your vision goes dark and spirals into a room you don’t recognize.

 **Monokuma:** Which of you Unsuspecting Students Numbers Two Through Sixteen _don’t_ have a story like that one?  
_… No one answered._

 **Monokuma:** Oh this is just horrible! Every student in this class has forgotten all their time at Hope’s Peak! Ooohhh noooo!!

_Monokuma fell to the ground and let a shower of roses rain on him and Atsukenna, then he immediately got up and started sweeping the roses._

**Monokuma:** Sorry if that was horrible, _nonfiction has never really been my forte._ _  
_ **Kiyoshi:** … N-Nonfiction?

 _Everyone else was stunned into silence. Like an audience stunned by a moving play…_ __  
_Right before they broke out into the deafening applause._  
**Atsukenna:** NONFICTION!? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING!?!

 **Ota:** YEAH, YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY FUCKIN’ WITH US!  
**Shiori:** W-waaaaaaaa!? Th-this can’t be real! I’m n-not accepting this!!

 **Emizu:** ... W- What!?  
**Kuukiko:** Oo, interesting. Hihi~

 **Yui:** Aw, das lame…

 **Rouki:** I…

 **Aiko:** What the fuck is this shit!? You’re fucking with me, you cotton piece of propaganda!

 **Ren:** … Th-this isn’t… what?

 **Chishiko:** What?! Two years!? That’s like, an eighth of my entire life!

 **Katsuo:** … W-... I-...

 **Daichi:** THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR, DEVIL BEAR, I SHALL NOT ALLOW THIS TO BE NONFICTIONAL!  
**Tsubasa:** … No… this isn’t… no…

 **Miyako:** S-strange, I do not remember… being in H-Hope’s Peak.

_All of us had something to say, or at least try to say. It was like a meet and greet with a celebrity, only far, far worse._

**Atsukenna:** Alright, fuck this shit, you little bitch!  
_Atsukenna stomped her boot onto Monokuma’s face, pinning him to the ground._ __  
**Atsukenna:** ANSWER ME, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?  
_Monokuma said nothing._ __  
**Atsukenna:** Oh, are you too scared to talk to me, little bitch!?  
_Monokuma started beeping._ __  
**Atsukenna:** … What is it doing?  
**Shiori:** A-Atsukenna! Get it away from you!  
S _hocked by Shiori’s sudden exclamation in our stunned silence, she picked up Monokuma and threw him into the empty food court-_ _  
_**_BOOM._**

_Where he promptly exploded._

_Explosions don’t seem like too big of a thing. They happen all the time in action movies- people can walk in front of them without even flinching-_ __  
_Real life is not an action movie._  
The sound was deafening, the smell was horrible, the sight was just white, I could taste iron in my mouth from the sudden fear.

 **Shiori:** AAAA!!  
**Aiko:** WHAT THE FU-!?

 **Kiyoshi:** G-!!

 _After the dust had cleared, I looked around and tried to stop my heart from beating out of my chest._  
**Atsukenna:** … D-Did I kill him?  
The room was silent again.

 _That is, until-_  
**Monokuma:** WOW! How rude of you, Thotsukenna!

_Another Monokuma popped out from the pedestal._

**Monokuma:** Don’t you know? If there was only one of me, I couldn’t properly Mastermind this whole situation!  
**Atsukenna:** You…  
**Monokuma:** Ah-ah-ah! If you attack me again, I’ll kill you!

 **Atsukenna:** Guh!?

 **Monokuma:** Now, kids, consider this your _motive!_ Something to cure your weak hearts towards murder and the like!

 **Monokuma:** Now, tata! Get some sleep!

_And with that, he disappeared into somewhere, leaving us in our pale faces and shaky figures. We all looked at each other with the exact same thing on all of our minds…_

_Could one of us really do it?_

**Kiyoshi:** … So I guess we’re all going to die. Fun.

 **Chishiko:** Mm, yeah, totes.

 **Emizu:** No! I’m not gonna let anyone kill anyone! I’ll do my night patrols more often- I’ll go an entire week without sleep so no one will die!  
**Kuukiko:** But what if you don’t~?

 **Emizu:** … W-what do you mean?  
**Kuukiko:** What if someone slips away from your night patrols and kills someone~? What would you do then~?  
**Emizu:** … I…  
**Chishiko:** I’ll leave my door open. Honestly, you’re all just a bunch of bed-wetting little babies, so I’ll be team mom from now on.

 **Kuukiko:** Gasp! My darling Chishiko is going to valiantly sacrifice herself for all of us! Oh, my beau, why must you?!  
_Kuukiko draped himself dramatically onto Chishiko, nearly making her fall._ __  
**Chishiko:** Get your heterosexual hands off of me! Creep!  
_Kuukiko got off of her and looked visibly offended._  
**Kuukiko:** Heterosexual whom?

 _**Chishiko:** _ Honestly I was just implying that so you’d get off, you’re like, the gayest person I’ve ever met. __  
“ And Tsubasa?” Was the only thing my subconscious mind could conjure up.  
_Though this was a very horrible time, at least someone could make light of it. Maybe… just maybe… no one would have to die._  
_Little did I know that Monokuma was an adept at shattering hopes and dreams._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orientations Confirmed This Chapter-  
> Chishiko- Lesbian  
> Kuukiko- Gay Dude  
> \--  
> ( first killer- http://www.strawpoll.me/13137589/r  
> first victim- http://www.strawpoll.me/13137590/r )  
> aiko is honestly one of my favorite characters in this class  
> body discovery next chapter yall


	5. [3] Daily Life: Of Martyrs and Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the students bond before their numbers decrease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNINGS-  
> Mention of fathers going to bars at midnight-  
> Vore mentions (wow thanks kuukiko)  
> __  
> this chapter made me anxious and i was the one fuckin writing it  
> enjoy if u can

_With the events of last night still fresh in my mind, I woke up from my dream._  
_It was a cryptic dream, not a very nice one at all. I was in a room with five or six or… seven- I couldn’t count them, but there were other people all at podiums. Every empty seat wasn’t actually empty, just a picture, all at different heights. Everyone was looking at one of the blobs. I had no idea who any of them were, they were all just blobs of red. The background was red. Everything was red. It wasn’t even that scary, but it filled me with a supernatural feeling of extreme dread…_  
_I decided to put the dream aside and walked to the food court._ _  
_ A little while after I got there, everyone had arrived. The tables all made small talk and whatever, nothing too interesting. Emizu told me that there was a kitchen (which I hadn’t noticed before, somehow,) and we talked about stuffed animals. It was nice.

_Katsuo stood on his table (which consisted of Shiori, Atsukenna, and himself.) He was taller than most of us by then. The only exception was Ota._

**Katsuo:** Attention! Everyone, I’d like to have your attention!  
_All of us were at least glancing at him._ _  
_ **Katsuo:** Erm… at around five or six PM, most likely six! Come earlier if you want to help a little bit!

 **Katsuo:** I’m holding a party in here! Nothing much, I just kind of want to… Get to know all of you. I’ll be supplying cakes and other things.

 **Daichi:** Oo! A delectable feast held by the one and only Ultimate Baker, I shall look forward to this, Sir Sugai!

_Katsuo was clearly very uncomfortable, as his face went red again. It went red a lot, actually. He’s probably a very embarrassed person._

**Yui:** Nnah… sounds chill… I’ll probs be there… meh…

 **Tsubasa:** Can someone get her some caffeine, like, immediately?  
**Rouki:** Hon, her blood is probably caffeine by now, she can’t get enough.

 _I noticed that Rouki barely ever bothered to look anyone in the eyes when he was speaking to them. He was always concentrating on something else. Right now he was painting his nails a shade of pink. Other times he’d just be looking to the left or right._  
**Tsubasa:** Mhm, tragic.

 **Yui:** Nah… my blood is like… blood… s’not coffee… or coke… either type…

 **Shiori:** … Either… type?  
**Ren:** Oh god, she’s way too pure! How does she not even know what cocaine is?

 **Shiori:** Oh, that’s w-what you meant by coke.

 **Ren:** Oh, NVM bros.  
**Natsuka:** Why does everyone say acronyms out loud?

 _Atsukenna slammed her hand on the table, making Katsuo lose his balance for a brief second._ _  
_ **Atsukenna:** Hey! Katsuo’s trying to organize something! Be there or be demonized as someone planning murder!

_… I guess that’s another way to put it._

**Emizu:** Yeah, guys! We need to meet up and bond as friends! You know, like people who _aren’t_ constantly planning to murder each other, since we’re all friends! Losing memories can’t change that!  
**Chishiko:** You’re acting like you have any faith in us.

_What?_

**Emizu:** Hm?  
**Chishiko:** You say that we shouldn’t act like things we’re not, example, people who aren’t constantly trying to murder each other, but you still patrol the halls every night.  
**Aiko:** And _you_ leave your door open!  
**Chishiko:** Well yeah, duh, I accept that someone’s gonna try to murder someone.  
_Chishiko’s eyes suddenly moved to glare at Emizu._ _  
_ **Chishiko:** Unlike someone else here claims.

 **Chishiko:** Honestly, grow up. At least accept the fact that you have no faith in anyone here~

 **Kuukiko:** I’m with her! Chishiko is the new Hillary! Hihi~

 **Tsubasa & Aiko: **We’re japanese you fucking cuc-

 **Miyako:** My my, such hostility from the two shadow gremlins. Rather humourous, is it not?

 **Miyako:** Unlike the more pure, light gremlins, the shadow gremlins revel in negative emotion and strive to spark it. A strange commentary, don’t you think?

 _Stop following your statements with questions. It gets annoying._  
**Katsuo:** … Am… am I the light gremlin?  
**Yui:** Light gremlin squad…

 _As Miyako rambled on about things that no one was listening to, most of us finished breakfast. Tired from social interaction yesterday, I decided to investigate what Skull Basher actually was._ _  
_ _The walls were painted black and lined with things like band t-shirts and headphones. It was the worst place I’ve ever been in. It had no specific laws or rules, it was just emo._

_I walked out as quickly as possible and went to Noble and Braun’s. I read some boring book about this kid who’s norwegian. He lives in this farm and it’s incredibly dull._

_After skimming the fiction section for anything worth reading, it was 5 PM._

_Since there was literally nothing better to do, I walked over to the food court. Lo and behold, there was Katsuo with Ota and Atsukenna. Ota was probably just waiting, but Katsuo and Atsukenna were still preparing the baked goods._

**Natsuka:** … Where’s Yui? You and her are joined at the hip. It’s unsettling seeing you alone.  
**Katsuo:** We’re close, yeah, but Yui’s sleeping right now.

 **Ota:** Isn’t she always sleepin’ though?  
**Atsukenna:** Don’t be fucking rude.

_Isn’t saying that rude in and of itself?_

**Katsuo:** A-anyways, it’s good you’re here. It’s always nice having an extra pair of eyes. And a tongue. Both of those.

 _I spent time with the three taste-testing Katsuo’s treats until six pm, when everyone else arrived._ _  
_ _Daichi was the first to arrive, not very surprising. The surprising part was that Kiyoshi came after. He usually didn’t care, so it was strange. Then Emizu came, then Miyako, then Yui (who I assume only came so early because her friend set up the event.) then Shiori, then Ren, then Rouki, then Tsubasa, Aiko, and that was it for a little while. A good ten minutes later is when Chishiko arrived._

 **Atsukenna:** Hey, Chish, where’s your boyfriend?

 _Chishiko glanced at her with a look of annoyance and disdain._  
**Chishiko:** First of all, I’m a lesbian, second of all, Skull Basher. I don’t know what for. Don’t ask.

 **Rouki:** So the gremlin didn’t even bother coming? Ugh, dumbass.  
**Miyako:** Though I’m usually not one to judge others, it was rather… insanely idiotic to not come.

 **Miyako:** He’ll be demonized as a murderer and probably be tied up and killed in secret, and though I use the word demonized, it is most probable that he is legitimately attempting murder.  
_How did you even come to that conclusion?_  
**Emizu:** Stop saying that! He’s probably just late.

 **Yui:** Nn… Nah, he’s prolly gonna kill someone.

 **Kiyoshi:** How does he kill someone when everyone that isn’t some pink gremlin-devil is in here? It’s legitimately just logical.

 **Yui:** ‘Splosives.

_Yui’s soft face had a constantly tired expression and some chubby, rosy cheeks. She looked like a ten-year-old but I got the feeling she could probably teach about war criminals with a straight face._

_As we discussed how a murder by the pink gremlin was possible if everyone was in the room, the pink gremlin also came into the room._

**Kuukiko:** Why hello my sinful underlings~ Hihi~

 **Emizu:** Uh, heeey, Kuukiko, why were you late?

_Emizu’s face was a combination of relief, stress, and fear._

**Kuukiko:** Because I was planning to murder somebody, obviously~  
**Kuukiko:** Or… was I? I don’t know myself, hihi~!

 **Aiko:** Don’t even joke about that, fucker.

 _Kuukiko turned to Aiko with a playfully menacing grin on his face, his hands folded behind his back._ _  
_ **Kuukiko:** Hm? Who said I was joking~?

 _Aiko was noticeably disturbed, but continued on._ _  
_ **Aiko:** I-I’ll dropkick you again.

 **Tsubasa:** She will, I would know. I’m actually dead right now. She killed me with dropkicks.

 **Ota:** Wait, I got this, lemme do somethin’.  
_Ota stood up, walked over to Kuukiko-_ _  
_ _And picked him up with such ease that he might as well have been a slightly annoyed housecat. Not even that, he basically_ **_was_ ** _a slightly annoyed housecat compared to Ota._

 **Ota:** Now we don’t gotta worry anymore. I got him. _  
_ **Kuukiko:** Oh what the fuck?

 **Kiyoshi:** … That works.  
**Miyako:** A practical yet outlandish solution by a practical yet outlandish boy. Fitting.

 _Katsuo stood on a table. Is that a routine of his?_ _  
_ **Katsuo:** Uh… the food is ready.

_He gestured his hands over to the table, where he and Atsukenna had been preparing the baked goods._

**Ota:** Oo!!  
_Ren slapped Chishiko directly in the face before she could say anything. I would’ve done the same if I were closer to her._

 **Miyako:** Oh my, are those eclairs?  
**Katsuo:** Yeah.

 _She took one from the table and took a bite out of it._ _  
_ **Miyako:** Scrumptious.

 **Ota:** Oh, gimme one.  
**Miyako:** You can get one yourself. You’re the Ultimate Weightlifter, a measly twink like Kuukiko should be nothing for you.

 **Ota:** Ack. Ya got me.

 **Aiko:** What… is this? It’s like chocolate pudding but it's, like, not.

 **Katsuo:** That’s chocolate mousse. Your description of it was actually pretty accurate.  
**Shiori:** U-uh, mousse is typically a heavy cream with a lot of eggs, a-and it’s more th-than pudding, it’s k-kind of like an edible shaving cream…

 **Shiori:** S-sorry, that was a strange simile…

 **Atsukenna:** Wow I have no idea why you pointed that out, but I’m impressed, Shiori!

 **Katsuo:** … Yeah, that was impressive.  
**Emizu:** Well, Shiori is the Ultimate Secretary, she has to work with a lot of people!  
**Shiori:** … Yeah. I-I listen in to a lot of conversations so I can properly care for people’s specific needs.

 **Shiori:** L-Like how Atsukenna’s hair needs to be re-dyed around once every two months, o-or how Ren’s pills are required daily…  b-but I still don’t actually know what they’re for.  
**Ren:** Oh, I’ll tell ya later. Right now, though, we have to vore some sweets.  
**Shiori:** Is… is vore synonymous with eat…?

 _Ren glanced around nervously. I could almost see him break into a cold sweat._ _  
_ **Ren:** Suuuree…

 **Kuukiko:** _SHORT FOR VORAPHILIA OR “VORAREPHILIA” , A FETISH IN WHIC-_ _  
_ _Ota squeezed him so hard it would be easy to convince someone that his lungs were just liquified and ejected through his saliva._

 **Chishiko:** Why the heck did he memorize the exact urban dictionary definition of vore?

 **Rouki:** He probably just wants us to suffer that much.  
_After that scene, everyone got up (bar Kuukiko, Ota carried him,) and got some of Katsuo’s sweets._

_It was a strange scene, definitely strange, with Kuukiko yelling about selective fetishes or Miyako’s ranting about light gremlins and dark gremlins, it was all strange…_

_But at least it wasn’t deadly._

_No one was dead._ _  
_ _And that was all that mattered._

_The rest of the… party, I guess it could be called, went as normal as things could go in this place. That is to say, not very. But, as I said, no one was dead. That was a good thing._

_When it was over I tried to go to my room before-_ _  
_ **Emizu:** Hey! Natsuka!

 **Natsuka: WHAT** is it?

 **Emizu:** What’s your favorite animal?  
**Natsuka:** My favorite what?  
**Emizu:** Your favorite animal. What is it?

 **Natsuka:** No, I mean why do you need to know that?

 **Emizu:** Well, uh…

_She suddenly looked very conflicted, like she was regretting this immediately._

**Emizu:** When You were at Pasteland at like, two or three AM, I noticed something.

 **Emizu:** You know how some husbands only come to the bar at around twelve or so in the morning because they don’t want their family to know out of shame?  
_Oh yeah. I almost forgot she was a bartender._

 **Natsuka:** Not… really?  
**Emizu:** Well, you reminded me of that. Only coming into Pasteland in the early morning out of shame.

 **Natsuka:** … Shut up.  
**Emizu:** N-no, it’s fine! I just wanted to get you something so you didn’t have to go in there yourself, that’s all.  
_She flashed a smile so bright that I felt like it could melt steel. Of course, from my amazing luck,  it only melted me._

 **Natsuka:** … Cats. Cats and bears.

 **Emizu:** Oh!! I love bears! I’ll get us both one!  
**Natsuka:** … Thanks. I’ll enjoy them.

_As I finally went into my room, I realized that my heart was probably about to melt out of my chest. To calm it, I layed in my bed and stared at the ceiling until I passed out from social exhaustion._

_And pass out from social exhaustion I did._ _  
_ _…_

_…_

_…_

_Sizzle._

_…_

_…_

_Sizzle._

_…_

_Sizzle._

_I woke up with sleep in my eyes. There was this strange sizzling noise coming from outside my room._

_It was two thirty-seven AM. Who in the fuck would make a sizzling noise at this ungodly hour?_

_… It’s probably nothing. I layed my head down on my pillow and closed my eyes to get some more rest._

_CRACKLE-CRACK-KRTZZ-_

**_Monokuma:_ ** _Hello hello my beautiful students and/or consumers! It’s seven AM, which means it's the perfect time to discover a body- I mean, wake up!_

 _With the same sleep in my eyes from the night before, they opened. I slipped on my shoes and walked to the do-_ _  
_ _There’s a hole in my door._

_Not just one little hole, mind you, it was a pretty big hole. It looked like it was burned into the door. I didn’t want to bother inspecting this hole. I’ll just confront everyone during the morning meeting, I opened the door and in front of me…_

_Was the beginning of the end._

_A bloodstain. A stain of crimson. I felt a cold sweat form on my face. It was going towards-_ _  
_ _The stores and the food court._

_no_

_No._  
_NO._  
_This isn’t happening. But I expected this. No matter how many times I prepared myself I would never be ready for death._ _  
_ I walked to the stores as slowly as possible, trying not to let fear buckle my knees.

 _Not in Take 2!_  
_Not in Killer Cuts._  
_Not in Noble and Brauns._ _  
_ Not in Queenie’s Greenery.

_Not in PumpIt!_

_There were only two stores left. Skull Basher and Pasteland._  
_I walked towards Pasteland._ _  
_ Nothing. That means that…

_It’s in Skull Basher. The body is in Skull Basher. I forced my legs to power through the ten-ton weights of anxiety laid upon them by a simple bloodstain and walked into the store…_

_It was just laying there._

_No scary music or anything. This is reality after all._  
_It was nearly unrecognizable._ _  
_ It’s skin was almost entirely burned off.

_It had the most horrible expression on it’s face. Like it was frozen in the most torturous scream possible._

_The body was small. Shorter than me and about as wide._ _  
_ _There were cuts. So many cuts._

_Almost nothing about it was recognizable aside from what little was left of it’s clothes and hair._

_It could only be one person._ _  
_ _One… person…_

 **Natsuka:** …

 **Natsuka:** …  
**Natsuka:** K-Kuukiko?

_I had to clamp my jaw shut not to scream._

**KUUKIKO KAWAKAMI** ****  
**ULTIMATE TOXICOLOGIST** **  
** **STATUS: DEAD.**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> joel i am so sorry  
> anyways the pills that ren and shiori mention will be revealed some time later  
> also kuukiko was at the top of the fan favorites list? so haha bye  
> ANYWAYS-  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13218882  
> who killed kuukiko robin


	6. [4] Deadly Life: Of Martyrs and Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remaining students investigate a body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont think there are any content warnings necessary, surprisingly  
> \--  
> anyways kuukiko was a fan favorite which is good. i wanted him to be a fan favorite. so i could kill him. :)

_I stared at Kuukiko’s burned, lifeless body for what seemed like so, so long. I almost started crying. Maybe out of despair, out of sadness, I don’t know why, but it was happening._  
**Daichi:** M-Maiden Hino, what’s troubling y-  
**Daichi:** W-WHAT?!

**_*Ding Dong Dong Ding*_ **

_*Crackle-Crack-Krtzz*_  
**Monokuma:** A body has been discovered!  
**Monokuma:** Now, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the class trial will begin!  
**Monokuma:** Good luck, and have fun! Try not to die in the class trial!

_… Does that… mean…?_  
_That this is real?_  
_I searched for any sign of evidence that I could be dreaming. Any sign or clue that could be used to prove that none of this ever happened._ _  
_ There was nothing.

_And before I knew it, everyone was here in a blur of time._  
**Daichi:** S-Sir Kawakami!!  
**Chishiko:** Aw, what? That’s pretty gruesome~ Heh~

**Aiko:** O-oh my God-

_Aiko’s face was horrified. She looked like she was forcing herself not to vomit._

**Yui:** … Oh.

**Rouki:** … Holy shit.

**Shiori:** M-MR. KAWAKAMI!? Oh… oh no oh jeez…

_Shiori was hiding behind her binder._

**Ota:** Y-yo, what happened!?  
**Yui:** Kuukiko died.

**Ota:** O-Oh God…

**Monokuma:** Woot woot! Murder! That’s my kink!  
_Monokuma suddenly appeared._

**Atsukenna:** YOU! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE!?  
**Monokuma:** Just to explain some stuff!

**Yui:** We know he’s dead.  
**Monokuma:** Well, do you know just _how_ he died?  
**Yui:** … Death by dying.

**Monokuma:** INCORRECT! That’s why I have this nifty little thing to give you all!

_Monokuma gave us each a tablet that said “Monokuma File 01”. I prayed that there wouldn’t be an 02._

**Tsubasa:** What’s this thing? Like, a tablet or something?  
**Monokuma:** Funny you should ask!  
**Monokuma:** Now, I know none of you are professionals, so I decided, hey! Let’s give these kids a little something to help ‘em figure out the culprit!  
**Monokuma:** The Monokuma File is a vague description of some things that’ll help during the class trial, like cause an’ time of death.

**Monokuma:** Now use it wisely in the class trial or be executed! Ta-ta!  
_And then he was gone._  
_I decided to take a look at it’s contents. It read as follows._  
**“The Victim is Kuukiko Kawakami.** ****  
**He appears to be covered in chemical burns and cuts.** **  
** **The time of death is around 2:40 AM.”**

_“2:40 AM.” … That’s around the time I woke up to that sizzling sound. And the cause of death is chemical burns… so… that could mean…_

_I probably could have stopped this…_

_No, this isn’t a time to look back on the past! I need to figure out who killed Kuukiko so I don’t get executed!_

**Shiori:** Huuh… This is horrible… I-I’m sorry, I need a s-second before I can… investigate.

**Ren:** … No one blames you. This is, uh, pretty gruesome.

**Natsuka:** I’m going to investigate.  
_After hurrying away from the group so they couldn’t see the horror on my face, I briskly walked to my room, I’m sure I can find some clues there._ _  
_ _One of the first things I noticed was that_ **_Kuukiko’s door was open._ **

_I walked to his room, which was right next to mine. The hallway is shaped like a backwards L._ **_Kuukiko, Shiori, Atsukenna and I are on the smaller portion of the L_ ** _in that order, from closest to the other portion to farthest._

**_Chishiko, Katsuo, Ren, Miyako, Ota, Aiko, Tsubasa, Rouki, Daichi, Emizu and Kiyoshi_ ** _are on the larger portion in the same order._

_That might be important, but probably not as important as the victim’s door still being wide open after his death._

_I entered the room- and it was pretty wrecked. There was a desk, much like the one in my room, but it was absolutely totaled. There were broken glass shards everywhere, and the legs were broken. Like something was slammed into it, like a ten-ton weight_

_On the floor outside of that, there was a **line of blood droplets going into Kuukiko’s room that very suddenly stopped.** I decided to look more closely the table. _

_The table is more than broken,_ **_it looks… burned._ ** _There are an extreme amount holes in it, and it appears that the holes were made by a kind of acid.  Kuukiko was the Ultimate Toxicologist, so if there are holes and broken glass on top of a table, it was probably a type of acid._

_… This is… weird._ _  
_ **_Nothing else about the room looks like it had been altered or anything._ ** _The only things that are really strange are the table and the suddenly stopping blood trail._

_That’s definitely important._

_Outside of Kuukiko’s room was Chishiko._ _  
_ **Natsuka:** Chishiko. Do you have any clues relating to the case?

**Chishiko:** No, not really to be honest. Heh~

**Chishiko: Even with my door open** I didn’t hear anything, so you simple-minded dogs wouldn’t have any clues anyways~

**Natsuka:** Your door was open?

**Chishiko:** Well, yeah, of course, I keep to my word.

_I forgot, but Chishiko volunteered to keep her door open the day the motive was announced. If she isn’t lying that means that_ **_There weren’t any loud noises or notable sights._ **

**Natsuka:** The fact that you didn’t hear anything is probably evidence in and of itself.

**Chishiko:** Oh, good.

_I turned around and saw Shiori (who was still panicking a bit) investigating my door._

**Shiori:** …

**Natsuka:** …

**Shiori:** … Hmm…  
**Natsuka:** What?  
**Shiori:** Uh… This hole in your door. **It’s clean.**

**Natsuka:** What do you even mean by “Clean?”

**Shiori:** I-I mean, uh… It’s definitely intentional.  
_What?_  
**Shiori:** The, uh, the hole isn’t in separate… holes. If this was made from what I think it was… then it’s **definitely intentional.** **  
** What she thinks it was?

**Natsuka:** What exactly do you think it was?

**Shiori:** Uh, a-a chemical. The broken glass right there i-is right next to a weird blotch, s-so- uh… **I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of chemical.**

**Natsuka:** Well that would explain that sizzling noise I heard last night.  
**Shiori:** A sizzling noise?  
**Natsuka:** Yeah, sizzling noise.

**Shiori:** Well, th-the chemical theory w-would be the only explanation. These rooms are soundproof, so someone’d have to break in to make a sound.

_I really didn’t expect her to be so perceptive… wait._ _  
_ **Natsuka:** … Is that blood?

**Shiori:** W-

_She took a quick glance and noticed the bit of blood by the broken glass._ _  
_ **Shiori:** AAAA!!

_Wow. She almost seemed professional for a second there._

_Well… now that that’s over, I should probably get to… the body. Oh joy. Murder investigation._

_As I made my way over to the body, I still got the same sense of dread as before. Only at least this time, I knew who it was, and that the body even existed._

_It was… just as horrid and vile as I remembered it. The exact same expression of_ **_tortured screaming._ ** **_  
_ ** _Emizu, Ren, and Ota were standing by the corpse._

**Ota:** Th-this is… really fucked up.

**Ren:** I mean, of course, It’s a murder.  
**Ota:** Then why aren’t you freakin’ the fuck out?!

**Emizu:** Hey! We need to investigate so fourteen of us don’t friggin’ die! _  
_ **Ota:** … Yeah. You’re right…

**Emizu:** … There’s **something off about this body.**

**Ren:** Oh, yeah! I see it!  
**Ota:** … What are you seein’?  
**Ren:** Look at the cuts on him, they’re all over the place.  
**Ren:** But look at this top left side, there are like, **waaaay less cuts there.** I dunno what that means, but it’s definitely a thing.  
**Natsuka:** So that could mean he was somehow pushed into the wall.  
**Ota:** AH! O-Oh, sorry. Didn’t notice ya.  
**Ren:** She’s like five-three bro. How are you scared by that?

**Ota:** Sh-shut up.  
**Emizu:** Guys! This is probably really important!

**Natsuka:** Most likely, yeah.

_I walked towards the body and attempted not to retch. I had to investigate despite my mind’s pleas to run._

_I felt around him for some evidence, luckily enough, my horror wasn’t in vain._

**Natsuka:** A… key?  
_A blue_ **_key with the name “K. KAWAKAMI” on it right in his pocket._ ** _Why was I surprised? Of course he would have a key in his pocket to his own room… then again, it might be important. I should make sure to keep it in mind._

**Emizu:** Wait a sec… Hey, Natsuka.  
**Natsuka:** What?  
**Emizu:** Look, right there.  
_She pointed out a cut. It was in the middle of the stomach, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for Emizu._ _  
_ **Emizu:** Isn’t this cut, like, **way bigger than the other ones?**

_The area the cut was in was extremely bloody. Emizu was right, it was far deeper and bigger than the other ones._  
**Ota:** … That’s definitely a knife.  
**Ren:** What makes ya think that?  
**Ota:** Cuz, like, it goes down in a straight line, and it looks like a knife wound, so **It’s definitely a knife wound.**

**Emizu:** Why do you know what a knife wound looks like?

**Ota:** Seen some. No big.  
_That is most definitely a big. What the fuck._

**Emizu:** Well, putting aside whatever Ota’s been through, this is probably a really, really big clue!  
_I wouldn’t say it’s that useful…_

**Emizu:** Wait, if that’s a knife wound… then we should check the kitchen! All the knives are there, so there might be one missing.  
**Miyako:** Your logic is sound.

**Ren:** Gah! Where’d she come from!?  
_I would’ve made a comment, but I realized that I hadn’t noticed her either. Either way, we were all in the kitchen in a little bit, but Ota and Ren left to investigate other things._

**Miyako:** This is… strange.

**Emizu:** Yeah, that’s really weird…

_In the kitchen,_ **_every knife was perfectly intact. No hole left unfilled._ **

**Natsuka:** It’s possible that the killer washed the knife and put it back on the rack.

**Emizu:** Yeah, that might be what happened.

**Monokuma: NOPE!**

_Monokuma suddenly appeared like he always does._

**Emizu:** GAH! WHAT!?  
**Monokuma:** Didn’t you forget? Things like faucets and showers get turned off at night!

**Natsuka:** What? Why are you talking like you told us that before?  
**Emizu:** Uh… he kinda did? You were totally zonked out though.  
**Miyako:** Yes, he did mention it while you were in your trance-like state, we just happened to forget.

_How did you forget an important detail like that?_

_Monokuma then disappeared._ _  
_ **Emizu:** Well, where do we investigate ne-?

**_*DING DONG BING BONG*_ **

**_*Crackle-Crack-Krtzz*_ **

**Monokuma:** It looks like it’s time for a class trial!  
**Monokuma:** Now, come to the main plaza, I have a special surprise for everyone there!

**Monokuma:** Make sure to have fun and enjoy the class trial from the very bottom of your heart…

_It’s… already time, huh?_ _  
_ **Miyako:** It appears that it is time to go. Ta-ta, companions.

**Emizu:** I guess it’s time. Let’s go, Natsuka.

_We went to the plaza. In the middle, there was a fountain I never noticed before._

**Natsuka:** … Was that fountain here before?  
**Shiori:** I-I don’t think it was, no.

_And then Monokuma erupted from it._  
**Monokuma:** Hey hey! You like this fountain?  
**Tsubasa:** Fuck no!  
**Aiko:** It’s probably something that you made to like, murder us!  
**Rouki:** How the fuck does a **fountain** kill people?

**Aiko:** Drowning.

**Monokuma:** Hey! I’m not gonna kill all of you with this!

**Monokuma:** … Only one to fourteen of you!

**Atsukenna:** That’s still murder!

**Monokuma:** ANYWAYS!

**Monokuma:** This fountain is actually a secret elevator! It’s totally high-tech!  
**Daichi:** I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IS VERY TECHNICAL!

**Kiyoshi:** That’s just a pretty elevator.

**Monokuma:** ANYWAYS! Come in here in a little bit! I won’t take “I’m not ready” as an answer!  
_Everyone slowly approached the… fountainvator. I decided to gauge everyone’s reactions to the situation._

**Emizu:** I’m gonna find the killer, so don’t worry!  
**Ren:** This is really shitty, but we have to work together, I guess.  
**Miyako:** Do not become afraid. Fear is an ugly beast.  
**Tsubasa:** … Who did that to Kuukiko? Seriously, that was way too brutal.  
**Chishiko:** Woo, that was preeetty gorey~ I can’t believe someone like that is among us~!

**Yui:** Nnah… I’m tired. I wanna go to bed. Murder is bad. Wow.

**Katsuo:** This is just horrible… why did this happen?

**Aiko:** I’m totally traumatized, honestly. This is fucked.

**Atsukenna:** Alright, let’s find this killer ass bitch.

**Daichi:** Though Sir Kawakami was… very rude to me, I am saddened by his loss. I shall find his killer and allow them justice!

**Ota:** I-I’m too dumb for this shit… I’ll just leave it to you guys.

**Kiyoshi:** All of this is pretty much bullshit. Especially Kuukiko’s corpse.

**Rouki:** Mm, I can safely say that this situation has snatched my weave so hard that it took my scalp along with it.  
**Shiori:** I-I’m determined to to find the murderer, even if it costs me my life!  
_No matter what they said, almost all of them had the same looks on their faces. Faces full of fear. Faces full of determination. Faces full of hope. Faces full of despair._

_… Kuukiko Kawakami._  
_He was definitely an interesting person. He never once showed a shred of fear or sadness, even in this horrible situation._  
_He was shrouded in mystery, and if we had more time, maybe we could’ve found a redeeming quality in him…_

 

__

 

 

_But now he’s dead, and one of us killed him._  
_I can try to run from that fact all I want, but one of us is a murderer and they killed Kuukiko Kawakami._  
_Now we’ll never see any of his redeeming qualities, or even if he had any at all._  
_No matter how many lies are thrown at my face, I’ll shine with the light of truth…_

 

__

 

 

_No matter how much the fear of death hangs atop my shoulders, I will make sure I survive…_

 

__

_THIS CLASS TRIAL!_ _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the murderer is probably obvious, but whatever. i hope the trial will be good.  
> WHO DO YOU THINK KILLED KUUKIKO?  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13218882  
> so yeah i think thats it. probably. hopefully.


	7. [5] Trial: Of Martyrs and Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a class trial is in session!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck man this shit is whack fuck man this shit is fuck man this shit fuck man this fuck man fuck  
> enjoy if you can
> 
> GOD THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT AND RUSHED IM SORRY

_The elevator was dim, noisy and slow, letting us get a full playback at what had just happened inside of our heads._  
_Someone among us is a murderer._  
_Someone among us killed one of our classmates._

_Someone among us killed Kuukiko Kawakami, the Ultimate Toxicologist._

_Someone among us will either die…_

_Or be responsible for fourteen more deaths._

_Needless to say, I was absolutely horrified._

**Emizu:** Are you all confident that we’ll find the killer?  
_The elevator was still silent for a bit._  
**Yui:** Nhaa… not at all.  
**Rouki:** I’ve pretty much accepted my death at this point. No big.  
**Kiyoshi:** Though we might figure out the culprit, I highly doubt we’ll have the heart to actually accuse them.

 **Emizu:** … C’mon guys! Have at least a **little** hope.  
_A bit later, the doors opened, revealing a little courtroom setting with a series of podiums, each empty aside from one seat with a portrait in it._  
**Monokuma:** Hey hey! Welcome to my patented trial room! No one else uses it, so it’s my patent now.  
**Shiori:** That’s… not something you should be proud of…

 **Monokuma:** Aaaanywaays, I’ve labeled your podiums, so stand at them or die!  
_We all went to our podiums. Mine was next to Tsubasa’s and-_

 _The portrait, which I realized was of Kuukiko._  
**Monokuma:** Now, allow me to ex-  
**Aiko:** Hold onto your ass for a singular fucking second!

 **Aiko:** What’s with that… picture?  
**Monokuma:** Oh! About those? It’s simple!

 **Monokuma:** In a killing game, death of your closest friends is guaranteed, so you’re obviously gonna get sad!  
**Monokuma:** So I put those pictures there to tell a story: a story of love and friendship piercing through the darkness of death!  
**Monokuma:** Ah, yes, not even the gap between your worlds can separate you all!

 **Atsukenna:** That’s totally bullshit! You just want to remind us of the ones who’ve died and stop us from getting shit done!

 **Monokuma:** A-anyways… let’s go over the rules of the class trial, just incase you forgot!  
**Kiyoshi:** Monokuma. This has been hammered into our heads. Let us begin so we can get this over with.

 **Monokuma:** No fuck you!  
**Monokuma:** Let’s begin with a simple explanation of the class trial.So, your votes will determine the result.  
**Monokuma:** If you can figure out “whodunnit” then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one…

 **Monokuma:** … Then I’ll punish everyone **besides** the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate.  
**Natsuka:** So does that mean… someone among us is the killer?

 **Yui:** Yeah. Totes.

 **Monokuma:** Boo-i got it right! The killer is one of you!

 **Miyako:** May I ask one more question?  
**Monokuma:** Shoot it Ms. Emo!  
**Miyako:** What is going on with… those screens?

_There were a few big monitors on the walls._

**Miyako:** Are they for showcasing evidence?  
**Monokuma:** YES! Showcasing evidence and more!

 **Ren:** And more?

 **Monokuma:** Upupu… you’ll see.

 **Emizu:** … Well, uh, where do we start?

 **Daichi:** I would suggest the discussion of the murder weapon!  
**Rouki:** Isn’t that obvious? It’s the acid on the table in his room.  
**Atsukenna:** Well, yeah, but how’d the killer get into his room?

 **Rouki:** I don’t know. We’ll figure that out later.

 **Emizu:** Well, since we already know the murder weapon, how about we try figuring out how the killer got into his room.  
**Yui:** Aight. Sure.

_So now we’re going to discuss something we don’t nkow about._

**Ren:** How did the **killer get into Kuukiko’s room?** **  
****Ota:** Uh… he mighta just left his door open?  
**Chishiko:** He didn’t. That was my job.  
**Katsuo:** He might’ve **dropped his key?**

 _Wait!_  
**BREAK!!** **  
****Natsuka:** No, that’s wrong.  
**Katsuo:** What?  
**Natsuka:** His key was inside of his pocket, he couldn’t have dropped it.  
**Atsukenna:** Well, the killer could have just put it in his pocket.  
_Shit… maybe they did._  
**Shiori:** Wait! T-the killer couldn’t have done that!  
**Atsukenna:** Huh? Why?  
**Shiori:** U-uh… Monokuma, c-could you show the key?  
**Monokuma:** Sure thing!  
_The image of the key showed up on the screen._  
**Shiori:** O-oh, good, I was right…  
**Shiori:** The key is slightly melted! T-that means that it was inside of his jacket when he was killed!

_The key shown on screen was slightly bent and… well, melted._

**Ren:** … Wow, you’re really perceptive.  
_She didn’t even see the key and she gave an accurate hypothesis…_

_She’s… very impressive._

**Miyako:** Well, if that isn’t the way the killer got into his room, then how did they?  
**Kiyoshi:** That’s the question that we need to answer. We don’t know.

 **Ren:** … Maybe if we answer some other questions, then we’ll get enough clues to answer the big one?  
**Katsuo:** Uh… wasn’t there a big cut in his stomach?  
_The monitors flashed to it._ _  
_ **Aiko:** Holy shit, how’d that get there?

 **Ota:** Oh, I saw that one! It’s definitely a knife wound!  
**Emizu:** We should probably discuss that

 **Ren:** So the killer is someone who **has a knife?** **  
** **Atsukenna:** Could be…

 **Daichi:** They could have also **gone to the kitchen!**  
**Daichi:** After all, that’s where all of the knives are located!  
_No, that’s wrong!_  
**BREAK!!** **  
****Natsuka:** No. There’s no way they could have done that.  
**Yui:** … Why.  
**Daichi:** Yes, Maiden Hino, I am… confused…

 **Natsuka:** Well, let me explain.

 **Natsuka:** Emizu, Miyako and I investigated the kitchen, and **every knife was there, and they were all clean.**

 **Natsuka:** Therefore, they didn’t use any knife that was in the kitchen. **_  
_ ** **_THAT DEDUCTION ISN’T RIPE!!_ **

**Atsukenna:** No! They obviously could have washed the fucking knife from the kitchen after they stabbed Kuukiko with it!

_W-?! That was… surprising…_

_Nonetheless, I need to prove my argument to her._

**Atsukenna:** **_The knife was_ ** **_  
_****_Obviously from the fucking kitchen!_ ** **_  
_ ** ******_The killer washed it_**

 **_After they stabbed Kuukiko’s body!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_-_ ** **ADVANCE-**

 **Natsuka:** The water is turned off at night, Atsukenna. There’s no way the killer could have washed the blood off the knife!  
**Atsukenna:** **_Just because the water is turned off_ ** **_  
_****_Doesn’t mean the killer couldn’t wash it!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_They could have_ ** **_gone to the god damn food court_ ** ******_and_**

 **_Gotten some bottled water to wash it off!_ ** **_  
_****BREAK!!** **  
****_I’ll snip your claims in two!_ ** **_  
_ ** **Natsuka:** That’s wrong! On our first day here, Monokuma told us that the food court is closed from ten PM to seven AM!

 **Atsukenna:** Wait, what? I never knew that!

 **Kiyoshi:** So that means that the killer needs to carry a knife around on their person?  
**Miyako:** It seems that that’s the most likely outcome.

 **Chishiko:** Well, guess who that puts suspicion on?  
**Chishiko:** DAICHI!!

 **Daichi:** W-WHAA!?!  
**Chishiko:** As the Ultimate Bladesmith, you should always carry some kind of knife on your person!

 **Aiko:** So that means Daichi’s the culprit, right?

 **Yui:** Cool, now let's go home.  
**Daichi:** I-I am not the culprit! I will show you my room, no weapon in there has been bloodied!

 **Monokuma:** I’m not gonna show that. Prove yourself some other way!  
**Daichi:** Drat…

 **Chishiko:** Daichi is **obviously the killer~!**

 **Shiori:** I-I’m not really sure about th-that…

 **Atsukenna:** Daichi, w-why’d you make him suffer like that after you killed him?!  
**Atsukenna:** He was **screaming in agony!**

 _… Wait._ _  
_ _If Kuukiko’s body was screaming… then…_

 **Natsuka:** Chishiko, why didn’t you hear Kuukiko screaming?  
**Chishiko:** …

 **Chishiko:** Huuuuh??

 **Natsuka:** Kuukiko’s body was trapped in a torturous shriek, and yet you claim that you never heard a sound in the night.  
**Natsuka:** The murder also occurred while the door was open, if it didn’t, then why would the door be open?

 **Chishiko:** …

 **Chishiko:** Ooohh, so you finally found me out, huh?  
_She’s just accepting this!?_

 **Chishiko:** Welp, now that I’m a suspect, I might as well come clean…

 _… she suddenly flipped out a butterfly knife from her dress._ _  
_ **Chishiko:** I’m the one who stabbed Kuukiko and moved the body~!

 **Emizu:** Wait, what!?

 **Kiyoshi:** I’ll admit, I didn’t really expect this.

 **Yui:** Woops. I guess Chishiko’s the killer now.

 **Ota:** A-alright, then I guess we’ll vote for this bitch.

 **Kiyoshi:** Very well, these events are satisfactory  
**Shiori:** Uhh…

 **Tsubasa:** Monokumaa! Get the voting ready

 **Shiori:** N-no that’s…

 **Shiori:** P-PLEASE! WAIT!

 _What?_ _  
_ **Chishiko:** …

 **Chishiko:** What was that?  
**Shiori:** Chishiko, I-I’m not convinced that you’re the killer! There are still far too many unanswered questions!

 **Chishiko:** Like what?  
**Shiori:** L-like… how Kuukiko got pushed onto the table, or the hole in Natsuka’s door, or the blood in front of her door or-  
**Chishiko:** Kuukiko attempted to kill Natsuka by pouring acid on her door to break into her room.  
**Shiori:** Wh-what?!  
**Daichi:** -!?  
_…_

_… Holy shit._

**Chishiko:** After that, the killer saw them and attacked, breaking the bottle of acid he was pouring and causing Kuukiko to bleed.  
**Chishiko:** The killer then went into Kuukiko’s room, which was open, and locked the door. He used the key to enter his room, and I don’t know what happened after that.  
**Natsuka:** … Chishiko. Why are you talking like you’re not the killer? You confessed just a few minutes ago!  
**Chishiko:** Huh? When did I do that? I just said I stabbed him and moved the body.  
**Aiko:** Why the fuck did you stab him!?

 **Chishiko:** To see if his blood was cold~  
**Shiori:** Y-You could’ve just felt his pulse.  
**Chishiko:** Buuuut I didn’t~

 **Ota:** And… why’d ya move the body?  
**Chishiko:** Cuz he liked it better in Skull Basher~

 **Miyako:** That is not the concern right now. Did you not hear what she just said?  
**Miyako:** This means that Chishiko isn’t the killer.

_… Wait._

_If Chishiko isn’t the culprit… then who?_

**Chishiko:** Well, let’s just get this ooutta the waay~

 **Chishiko:** Why did the blood in front of the door stop so suddenly?  
**Natsuka:** … That’s right. Inside the room, the only blood that was inside the room was on the table.  
**Chishiko:** Which means that…~?  
**Natsuka:** Kuukiko must have stopped touching the floor?

 **Chishiko:** You got it! Now this is only my guess, but I think that Kuukiko must have jumped on the killer, and after that, they threw them~!!

 **Atsukenna:** But… who?

 **Chishiko:** I dunno.

 **Kiyoshi:** Sooo no one knows who the killer is? No evidence or anything?  
**Daichi:** B-but wait, if we do not figure out who the killer is… then we-  
**Miyako:** Will all be executed.

_…_

_So is that it?_  
_Do we not have any chance of survival?_  
Are we all just going to die?

_…_

**Emizu:** HANG ON!  
**Emizu:** I think… I think I have a final piece of evidence to prove who the killer is.

 **Emizu:** No… I don’t think, I know! This will prove who the killer is!  
_And all eyes went to Emizu as we prayed that we could be saved from this hell._

_-INTERMISSION-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you romantically ship kuukiko and chishiko im showing up at your door  
> i made a new poll for this again  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13262135  
> fuckignign vote you absolute dingus


	8. [6] Trial: Of Martyrs and Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the killer is found and our first execution is witnessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings-  
> fucktons of self deprecation, use of the word "pathetic" a lot.  
> vore mention because i fucking hate myself  
> \--  
> i hope you sob during this guys  
> enjoy if you can

_As thirteen pairs of eyes locked onto Emizu and bore straight into her mouth, searching for the answer so desperately that their stares were choking her, I did the same._

_She took the world’s shakiest breath and let the world’s shakiest smile infect her lips._

**Kiyoshi:** Well? What is it? Out with it, I’m not dying today.

 **Emizu:** The killer is someone who would go out on routine in the halls.  
**Emizu:** The killer is someone who tried to protect everyone… and failed… so horribly.

 **Emizu:** The killer is someone who tried to help and only hurt in the worst way possible.  
**Emizu:** The killer is someone who killed when they could have saved a life… and their own life.  
**Emizu:** I know… who the killer is I’ve known this whole time.  
**Emizu:** I-I’m… sorry but…  
**Emizu:** The killer is-

 **Natsuka:** No.  
**Emizu:** W-  
**Natsuka:** NO.

_No. I’m not going to accept thisnono_

_no_

_No._

_NO._ _  
_ **_NO._ **

**Natsuka:** The killer is **NOT** who you’re implying.

 **Emizu:** Natsuka, I know this is hard but-  
**Natsuka:** DID YOU NOT HEAR ME!?

 _I’mnotacceptingthisI’mnotacceptingthisI’mnot_  
**Ren:** N-Natsuka, calm down… y-you don’t even know if it’s-  
**Natsuka: I’M NOT ACCEPTING THIS.**

 **Shiori:** AAAA!! W-why is Ms. Hino so scary all of a sudden!?

_This isn’t true. This is a lie. I need to prove it wrong. This is a lie._

**Natsuka:** Where’s the evidence? Where’s your evidence?  
**Emizu:** I-if you just let me speak I’d g-  
**Natsuka:** No. No. NO. **NO.**

_I am not accepting this._

_I’m not…_

_I’m…_

_…_

**_NATSUKA           ----- >            EMIZU_ ** _  
_

_. . ._

_I guess this is it? This is just the end?_

_… Well, I can’t really change that, can I? Plus, on the bright side, this wasn’t the worst way I could’ve gone out in all honesty._ _  
_ _… But it’s not my time just yet. I have a little more that I have to do until then._

_I need to get everyone to vote for me. To vote for the killer._

_I need to save the lives of everyone here…_

_And to do that…_

_I’ll make sure I die in this class trial!_

**Aiko:** E-Emizu? You’re the culprit?  
**Emizu:** Yeah… I’m the one who threw Kuukiko into the table.

 **Rouki:** Just say you killed him, jesus fuck. If you don’t, this is gonna turn into another Chishiko loop.

 **Chishiko:** Wow, so you just went “THIS BITCH EMPTY, YEET?” God, what an icon you are~

 **Ota:** N-no way… really?!

 **Natsuka:** No, not really, she’s obviously just trying to take the blame so we don’t have to vote for the actual killer.

 **Emizu:** Who else could it be?!  
**Natsuka:** D-DAICHI NEVER GOT AN AN ALIBI! OTA DIDN’T EITHER! Th-they both have the physical strength to throw Kuukiko…

 **Natsuka:** A-and! AND! A-Aiko is an Occultist, she probably carries around a knife all the time!

 **Emizu:** The person with the kn-

 **Daichi:** AAA!! I am being accused again!!

 **Ota:** Y-yo, what the fuck Natsuka!?

 **Aiko:** Wait! I-I’m innocent! Innocent!  
**Natsuka:** S-so that d-decides it! It’s either Daichi, Ota or Aiko!  
**Emizu:** No, it ca-  
**Ota:** LEMME EXPLAIN MYSELF!  
**Daichi:** YES! I SHALL AS WELL!

 **Emizu:** N-No, guys-

 **Ota:** I’LL PROVE MY INNOCENCE TO YOU!  
**Daichi:** AS STATED BEFORE, I WILL DO THAT AS WELL!  
**Rouki:** Can you stop being redundant?  
_It looks like they’re both in a state of panic… they’re not gonna be able to calm themselves unless I prove my guilt._ _  
_ _I’m gonna have to if I wanna save everyone!_

 **Ota:** At two AM I-  
**Aiko:** I don’t **carry a knife** ar-  
**Daichi:** I was tending to my sw-

 **Aiko:** ound! I’ll let you check my ba-

 **Ota: was asleep!** Just like you should be at tw-

 **Daichi:** ords, so I would **not have the presence** to murder S-

 **Aiko:** g! There’s **just a buncha books!** Plus, Tsubas-

 **Ota:** o AM!

 **Daichi:** ir Kawakami!

 **Aiko:** a can testify that I was **in his room all night!**

 **Natsuka:** See! Th-their excuses are all lazy!

 **Natsuka:** There’s **no way it’s not one of them!**

 **BREAK!!** **  
** **Emizu:** You’ve got that wrong!!

 **Natsuka:** What?

 **Emizu:** According to Chishiko’s theory, both Daichi and Ota are both too tall for Kuukiko to jump on.

 **Emizu:** Which means that **they wouldn’t have had the ability to throw him, meaning that Kuukiko’s death would have been different!**

 **Natsuka:** W-what about Aiko? She hasn’t showed us her bag ye-  
**Chishiko:** Sorry Natsuka, but dontcha remember that I was the one who did that~?

 **Natsuka:** … Well, why didn’t Kuukiko notice you coming out of your r-room, if you even did that?  
**Emizu:** Because of the backwards L shape, I could have walked to him and he wouldn’t have noticed, because our rooms are on total opposite sides of the L!

 **Natsuka:** …

 **Natsuka:** **_THAT REASONING IS WILTED!!_ ** **_  
_ ** _WH-!?_

 **Natsuka:** No! You’re not the killer! I won’t accept it!

 **Emizu:** Stop RUNNING FROM THE TRUTH! Please… don’t make this harder than it has to be…

 **Natsuka:** **_If you’re_ **

**_the killer, then when were_ **

**_you getting the stuffed animals_ **

                                                                  **_at Pasteland!?_ **

-Advance-

 **Emizu:** I went directly after I asked you what your favorite animal was!

 **Natsuka:** **_And then you_ **

**_went back into_ **

**_your room!_ **

**_Why would you need to_ **

**_come back out?!_ **

**BREAK!!** **  
** **_I’ll slash through that argument!_ **

**Emizu:** Why wouldn’t I need to come back out?  
**Natsuka:** …

 **Natsuka:** No.

 **Natsuka:** Th-there’s still one piece of evidence that proves it isn’t you!  
**Emizu:** No, there isn’t!  
**Natsuka:** THERE IS! I-I swear there… there’s…

 **Natsuka:** One more.  
_Natsuka’s voice sounded so… weak. Hoarse and defeated, she hadn’t let the tears in her eyes spill yet._ _  
_ _Knowing her, she would probably rather die than do that._

-PANIC TALK ACTION START-  
**Natsuka:** I KNOW THE TRUTH!  
**Natsuka:** LISTEN TO ME!

 **Natsuka:** STOP DENYING MY VOICE!  
**Natsuka:** I’M NOT ACCEPTING YOUR LIES!  
**Natsuka:** DAMN IT!

 **Natsuka:** YOUR EVIDENCE ISN’T SUFFICIENT!

 _She just kept screaming louder than everyone else, I kept searching for an opening, I just kept at it… until-_   
**Natsuka: YOU HAD NO REASON TO GO OUT OF YOUR ROOM AFTER THAT!!** **  
** **_YOUR_ ** **_  
_** **_TWO AM_ ** **_  
_** **_PASTELAND_ ** **_  
_ ** ****_VISIT_

 _I’m sorry!_ _  
_ **BREAK!!**

 **Emizu:** DON’T YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU VISITED PASTELAND AT TWO AM!?  
**Emizu:** THE ONLY REASON I FOUND YOU WAS BECAUSE I WAS ON MY NIGHT PATROL! I FOUND KUUKIKO BECAUSE OF MY NIGHT PATROL!

_…_

_And after that, everything was silent. No one dared speak another word._

_… So I did it. I got everyone to see the true culprit of this case. Me._ _  
_ _I saved as many lives as I could, and now it’s almost my time._

_I do kinda deserve this, to be honest. Still sucks that I’m gonna die._

_Well, whatever, at least I died loved. That’s all that matters._

_…_

_It’s about time… I gave the perspective back._ _  
_ _Back to the real protagonist of this story._

_…_

_I’m so sorry, Natsuka._

_…_

**_EMIZU           ----- >            NATSUKA_ **

…

 _I’m crying._ _  
_ _Why am I crying. I shouldn’t be crying. I don’t want to be crying. So then why am I doing it?_

_I already knew I didn’t deserve it._

_Deserve to be loved. To have someone like me. I never did._   
_I never deserved it. Not once. Not ever. I never have and I never will._  
…

 _And yet I’m crying about it._ _  
_ _God. I’m so pathetic._

_After what seemed like seven eternities, someone spoke up._

**Yui:** Well that was sad. Let’s vote now.

 **Shiori:** H-h-h-how are y-you recovering so q-quicklyy…?

 **Yui:** Years of emotional suppression my dude.

 **Monokuma:** Hey, wait a sec! You can’t vote yet, ya gotta go over the case one last time before you can do that!  
**Kiyoshi:** Why? We already know the killer.  
**Monokuma:** Tradition!

 **Ota:** What kinda tradition could this stuff have?  
**Natsuka:** I’ll… I’ll do it.

 **Monokuma:** Yes! Good!

_I cleared my throat and glanced around the room. The monitors above us started glowing in the black that signaled that they were on without showing anything._

_I started to speak through my hoarse and cowering voice._ _  
_ **Natsuka:** This case starts with the victim, Kuukiko Kawakami, who **attempted to murder me** before he became the victim himself

 **Natsuka:** The killer, who had taken the responsibility of **patrolling the halls** at night, saw Kuukiko pouring acid on my door.

 **Natsuka:** Because of the **backwards L** shape of the hallways, Kuukiko didn’t notice the killer coming out of their room, as they were on almost opposite sides of the L.  
**Natsuka:** Because the killer was so surprised, they attacked Kuukiko, shattering the glass they used to hold the acid on the ground and causing him to bleed.  
**Natsuka:** Fearing for their life, the killer rushed into Kuukiko’s room which had it’s door left open and locked it. Of course, Kuukiko had the key to his own room.

 **Natsuka:** Kuukiko opened the door and jumped on Emizu, causing the blood he was bleeding to suddenly stop falling onto the floor.

 **Natsuka:** Due to the killer’s surprising strength and panic, they threw Kuukiko into the table which Kuukiko was supplied with because of his talent…

 **Natsuka:** A table decorated with glasses full of acids. Because the killer didn’t intend for this, they probably just ran from the scene back into their room or something of the like.  
**Natsuka:** … Which is Chishiko comes in. Because she left her door open, she heard Kuukiko’s tortured screaming and waited for the killer to leave the crime scene, where she would take action.  
**Natsuka:** She sliced open Kuukiko’s stomach to check if his blood was cold, which it was. After that, she dragged his body to Skull Basher because he enjoyed it there.  
**Natsuka:** … and that’s how the murder of Kuukiko Kawakami took place… isn’t it…?  
**Natsuka:** The killer is…

 

 

 **Emizu:** Me. The Ultimate Bartender Emizu Hoshino.

 

****

 

**BREAK!!**

**Ren:** E-Emizu…

 **Miyako:** This is… saddening, to say the least.

 **Rouki:** Saddening? Bitch, this shit is depressing. I’d be sobbing if I wasn’t dead inside.

 **Yui:** Nnah… Same.

 **Emizu:** I-I’m… I’m so, so sorry, everyon-  
**Atsukenna:** NO ONE FUCKING BLAMES YOU! THE ONLY PERSON WE BLAME IS THAT PIECE OF SHIT MONOKUMA!

 **Monokuma:** W-why me!?

 **Kiyoshi:** Don’t forget Kuukiko. I blame Kuukiko. He was a dick.

 **Rouki:** Me too. Fuck Kuukiko.

_I almost started crying again. I wouldn’t let myself. I was already being too emotional._

**Emizu:** … Don’t blame Kuukiko. He was mean. He was rude, but he was just as affected by all of this as any of you.

 **Emizu:** I have a lot I wanna say… but now it’s time to vote.

 **Monokuma:** Yup-yup! She’s right, time to vore!  
**Monokuma:** Woops, did I say vore? I meant vote!  
_On all of our podiums (bar the dead) there was a screen. It showed all of our faces except for Kuukiko’s, which was grayed out._

 **Chishiko:** Can I ask you something about the vote, Monokuma?

 **Monokuma:** Shoot it Bishiebro!  
**Chishiko:** Does the vote of the blackened count against our votes?  
**Monokuma:** Hmmm… that depends on the case.

 **Chishiko:** Well does it this time you waste of fucking cotton, metal, brain power and literally any minor sacrifice it took to make you~?

 **Monokuma:** J-jeez! How mean!

 **Monokuma:** … No, not this time, it doesn’t.

 **Chishiko:** Oh, good.

 **Tsubasa:** Why’d you ask that?  
**Chishiko:** Just curious. I need to know just in case something happens.

 **Monokuma:** Oh! Just a reminder! Vote for someone or you die!

 **Monokuma:** Upupupu! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? Who knows!

_I stared at the LED screen and looked at the portrait of Emizu._

_With a shaky hand, I pressed my finger on her face. On the bottom of the screen, there was a button that just said “Confirm Vote?” in bright yellow bubble letters. I pressed it as lightly as I could._

**Monokuma:** AALLLLLLLLLLLRIGHTY FOLKS! THE TIME IS HERE! TIME TO TALLY UP THE VOTES!  
**Monokuma:** Let’s see, let’s see…

 _On the monitors above, there was an image of a slot machine, it spun and spun and spun until it landed on a pixelated portrayal of Emizu, and then it started spewing out golden coins._  
**Monokuma:** Correct!  
**Monokuma:** The culprit responsible for the murder of Kuukiko Kawakami is none other than Emizu Hoshino!

 **Shiori:** AAAA!! I-I thought it wasn’t trueee…

 **Daichi:** W-why!? This is just a vile excuse for justice, Monokuma!

 **Aiko:** O-oh lord… damn it…

_God fucking damn it…_

_For every last second, I doubted it. I obscured the truth in favor of my own emotions… I’ll never forgive myself, ever._

**Emizu:** Hey, Natsuka.  
**Emizu:** Don’t let yourself stop.  
_What?_ _  
_ **Emizu:** This is… this is gonna be hard, but you can’t let yourself stop moving. You’re gonna fall down, so make sure you get back up.

 **Emizu:** That’s basically the way you make any change in the world…

 **Natsuka:** … I’ll… try.

 **Emizu:** … Thank you, Natsuka. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

 **Ren:** Emizu… if you didn’t kill on purpose, then why didn’t you just tell us from the start?  
**Emizu:** … Because I was scared.  
**Emizu:** It’s as simple as that. I didn’t wanna die… but I couldn’t live with myself sacrificing all of you.  
**Chishiko:** Oh wow. That’s reaaal sad, bro.

 **Monokuma:** Heeeyy, do you have any other motive than that?  
**Emizu:** … No, I don’t really think so.  
**Monokuma:** Welp, that means it’s MOTHAFUCKIN’ PUNISHMENT TIIIMEE!!

_GH-!?_

**Emizu:** NATSUKA! ONE MORE THING!  
**Natsuka:** W-wha-?  
_Emizu reached into her pocket and dropped a key onto the floor._

 **Emizu:** The stuffed animals.  
**Emizu:** They’re in my room.  
**Monokuma:** Now, it’s the moment everyone’s waiting for! I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Emizu Hoshino, the Ultimate Bartender!

 **Natsuka:** E-Emizu…!

 **Emizu:** What?  
**Monokuma:** Let’s give it everything we got! It’s… PUNISHMENT TIIIIME!!

 **Natsuka:** I-I… I’ll miss you.

 **Emizu:** … I’ll miss you too.

_And just before a chain came and grabbed her by the neck and dragged her away, she smiled an earnest smile._

_As she was pulled through the doors, a pixelated animation appeared on the monitors-_  
EMIZU HOSHINO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY! TIME FOR HER PUNISHMENT!  
A title card decorated with olives and bottles flashed on the screen.

**BLOODY MARY, BLOODY MARY**

_Emizu was dragged onto a tower without a floor, only the edge was there a little wider than her stance. Everything was fine until some jagged edges erupted from it. The ring started to spin, forcing Emizu to move. From the ceiling started pouring a red liquid that steamed just from existing into her path, so she started running the other direction. A bombardment of heavy cubes fell from above, nearly crushing her._

_She kept up for a little while before there was another steaming liquid, this one was yellow, she dodged it and kept running before the the ground shook, pushing her into the middle of the ring with the rest of the steaming red liquid. She would’ve fallen in if it wasn’t for the spear that shot and stabbed her in the abdomen and stuck her on the ring._

_An olive was placed on the end of the spear._

_I had to clench my jaw shut not to scream, and it looked like everyone who didn’t scream did that too._

**Atsukenna:** A-A--  
**Atsukenna:** AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

 **Shiori:** TH-THIS ISN’T RIGHT! TH-THIS IS JUST HORRIBLE!!

 **Chishiko:** Ugh, you’re s'posed to put OLIVES on the end of the stick, not people.

 **Rouki:** … Tell me, Monokuma. Why are you doing this?  
**Monokuma:** Despair.  
**Yui:** … Despair?  
**Monokuma:** That’s it. Just despair.

 **Yui:** Das’ pre’y fuck’t.

 **Monokuma:** I’M pretty fuck’t!  
_There wasn’t anything that anyone said after that. It felt like we were in the courtroom for forever._  
**Monokuma:** Uh, you know you can leave, right?  
… Until he spoke up.

 _We all went into the elevator, one person less than before._ _  
_ _\--_

_The second I got into my room, I collapsed onto my bed. I couldn’t feel anything, I didn’t want to feel anything. I didn’t feel anything, and yet my face was wet._

_… Still pathetic, I see._ _  
_ **_*DING DONG*_ **

_Oh, someone’s at the door._

_I got up from my bed and saw Ren and Ota._

**Natsuka:** Why… are you here?  
_I hadn’t heard my voice for what seems like forever. It was strained. Hoarse. Quiet. Pathetic._

 **Ren:** Well… during the trial… it seemed like you and Emizu were… close.  
**Ota:** So he wanted to make ya feel better n’ stuffs.

 **Ren:** It was my idea, but Ota wanted to come too.

 **Natsuka:** … Thanks.  
_I let them into my room. They talked about happy things in an awkward attempt to make something better. It was hamfisted and twee, but at least I wasn’t static._ _  
_ _I’m going to keep moving now. Now and forever, hopefully._

 

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOY  
> This chapter was honestly really self-indulgent for me  
> my least favorite character in drv3 is ouma, so i based like. legit everything about kuukiko on him and bOOP I KILLED HIM FIRST BYE  
> the idea for the brief protag swap was based on the fact that natsuka wouldnt condemn her like. ever. unless she had to. like absolutely had to.  
> ota and ren are bffs now. dont question it bros  
> any time a character dies without their orientation being revealed itll be put under the unconfirmed orientations box like so  
> \--  
> Unconfirmed Orientations-  
> Emizu- Lesbian  
> \--  
> Polls-  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13280090 - Second Victim  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13280097 - Second Killer  
> \--


	9. [1] Daily Life: The Sky Will Fall and Drop the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which trust is born, betrayed, and critiqued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings!  
> the scene with the two doors is a bit... touchy for trans people, so please be cautious!  
> other than that I don't think there's much that's any worse than normal DR  
> enjoy if you can!  
> oh, also, i tried double spacing again like i did in chapter 1, lets hope it looks better now

**CHAPTER 2**

**THE SKY WILL FALL AND DROP THE STARS**

**START**

_ \-- _

 

_ I woke up to a ding on the doorbell. _

_  
_ ***DING DONG***

**  
** _ I glanced at the clock. six AM, an hour earlier than the morning announcement. _

 

_ Well, if this is a murderer coming to kill me, I’m prepared for death. I walked over to the door, pulled it open and saw- _ __  
  


_ Shiori. _

_  
_ **Shiori:** U-um… Hello M-Ms. Hino- I uh… g-got her keys for you.

 

_ She held out her hand. Inside of it was a pink key with a name on it. “E. Hoshino.” _

 

**Natsuka:** Where… did you get this?

  
**Shiori:** Th-the courtroom.

  
**Natsuka:** … Wait.

  
**Natsuka:** You. Shiori Maeda.

  
**Shiori:** Y-yes.

  
**Natsuka:** Rode an elevator in the dark.

  
**Shiori:** Yes. I-I did.

  
**Natsuka:** Alone. Without any assistance.

 

**Shiori:** Y-yeah, no one came with me.

  
**Natsuka:** And then you proceeded to search a dark room, In which you witnessed someone die, for a key that’s smaller than your hand.

  
**Shiori:** I-I did.

  
**Natsuka:** … Thank you…

 

_ I might’ve sounded sarcastic or insincere. I wasn’t. _

 

**Shiori:** Okay, uh, here you are.

  
_ She dropped the pink key in my hand. Not knowing what else to do after that, she stood still as a cicada’s shedded skin, or a simile that wasn’t that weird and possibly disturbing. _

 

**Natsuka:** I’m going to get them now.

  
**Shiori:** OH! I-I’m sorry, I- uh, I forgot about that!

 

**Natsuka:** It’s alright, I guess.

  
**Shiori:** I-is it okay if I come with you?

  
**Natsuka:** … Why?

  
**Shiori:** I don’t know… I-I just like stuffed animals…

**Natsuka:** Alright then…?

 

_ I walked over to Emizu’s room, Shiori following behind me. I put the key into the keyhole and twisted my hand to the right. Likewise, the door opened. _

 

_ The room smelled… pleasant. Like a fruity drink that wasn’t too strong but also wasn’t watered down. While my room was decorated with flowers, hers gave off a less girlish vibe. The walls were a nice beige, and a dark gray carpet was stretched upon the floor. _

 

_ On the desk much like the one Kuukiko and I both had, there was a collection of bottled alcoholic drinks that looked like they’d never been opened. _

 

_ Just as promised, on top of the bed were two stuffed animals. A fluffy white bear, and a soft looking tabby cat. I walked over to them and picked both up in my hands. Soft and warm, like any good stuffed animal. _

 

**Shiori:** … C-can I hold one?   
  


**Natsuka:** … Okay. Sure.   
  


_ Shiori shakily took tabby cat and looked at it like a homeless man at a buffet. _

 

**Shiori:** … Cute… fluffy… 

 

**Natsuka:** … Yeah.

 

_ It took me a second to remind myself that the owner of this room was dead. _

 

_ That she killed someone, and that she was executed for it. _

_ \-- _

 

_ By the time the morning announcement came on, I was back in my room with both stuffed animals. _

 

**_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_ ** ****__  
  


**Monokuma:** Hello hello my beautiful students and/or consumers! It’s seven AM, which means it's the perfect time to discover a body- I mean, wake up!

 

_ I slipped on my normal clothes (like the same old overall dress and white to blue striped stockings), put my feet into my rain boots, and pushed open the door to my room. _

 

_ The journey to the food court was quiet, as always. I walked towards the food court and didn’t notice anything off about my surroundings. _

 

_ I ate my breakfast as the usual people came in. The ones who were always on time, the confused ones, the ones who genuinely don’t care, and the rebels… _

 

_ Minus four. _

 

**Katsuo:** … Where are the others?   
  


**Aiko:** What? What are you talking about?

 

**Tsubasa:** I think he’s onto something. This place seems less… cramped.   
  


**Shiori:** Atsukenna, Yui, Daichi, and Ota. That’s who we’re missing.

 

**Ren:** Lordy mcfucking lou, if they’re dead I-   
  
**Miyako:** \- would  **prefer** you wouldn’t imply that, Ren Takemoto. Ultimate Matchmaker.  **SIR.**

 

**Kiyoshi:** Yeah, as much as I don’t give a shit about them, I’d prefer not imagining their festering corpses.

 

**Rouki:** Well that’s morbid. Wow.   
  


**Natsuka:** I’m sure they’re fine. If any of them died they would’ve… screamed or something. Ota’s so loud he would’ve broken through the soundproof walls. Daichi too.

 

**Chishiko:** Well yeah, we know about Tubby and Daichi, but Yui talks around nine times a year, and Atsukenna just screams so much that we wouldn’t know the difference~   
  
**Natsuka:** Shut up, no one cares.   
  


_ As I turned my head back to my breakfast, I could swear I saw her flush. _

 

_ … But I couldn’t get the thought out of the back of my mind… that they could be dead… _

 

_ Until- _ __  
__  
**???:** FEAR NOT, VALIANT CIVILIANS! YOUR WORRY HATH BEEN TOTALLY  MISPLACED!   
  
__ There he was, a giant figure cloaked in armor… but it seemed different.

 

_ This Daichi was different. Instead of the rust-colored paint it used to have, there was a silver mass with golden trim in front of us. Replacing the horns that were there, there was a feather. Draping across his silver back was a cape of red and white, fluttering. Somehow. _

 

**Aiko:** …

 

**Katsuo:** …

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

**Chishiko:** Holy heck! That’s suuuuuuuuuper cool!!

 

**Shiori:** W-wow! Daichi, your new armor is so sh-shiny!! **  
**  


**Kiyoshi:** Why are you so extra? Honestly, why?

 

**Daichi:** Because I am Sir Daichi Fujikawa! My duty is to honor the dead Emizu Hoshino and Kuukiko Kawakami by acting as an emissary of light from now on!

 

**Kiyoshi:** Dear god, can you quit it with the knight act for fifteen seconds?

 

**Tsubasa:** Can you stop being a dick for fifteen seconds?

 

**Rouki:** Nah.  **I** tried once. Failed. Failed horribly. I doubt It would be any different for pastel twunk over there.

 

**Kiyoshi:** Pastel… twunk?   
  


**Miyako:** May we stop raving about your homoerotic colored classifications and search for the group of missing children?

 

**Daichi:** Missing children?

 

**Miyako:** Before your sudden arrival, we were missing you, The Ogre, The Housecat, and The Rebel.

 

**Ren:** Are… Are you giving them titles?

 

**Miyako:** Names are naturally boring. They become tiresome after years of use, like rocks under rain.

 

**Miyako:** Titles are unique, and can be given in a moment’s notice. They’re colorful and new in the boring ocean of tired names, gasping for freedom from the monochrome sea as they scream in melancholic anguish.

 

**Miyako:** As an added plus, they aren’t easily forgettable.

 

**Natsuka:** Did you prepare that entire speech just for this non-guaranteed situation?

 

**Miyako:** … 

 

**Miyako:** … Can we make haste?

**???:** Nah, we’re here.   
  
_ The voice sounded like Atsukenna’s, but lacked its normal… gusto. Like she was depressed or tired. I looked over to the source and saw Atsukenna with Ota beside her, who was carrying something that seemed like it was making a constant but quiet sound. _ __  
  


**Ota:** Oh, hey Daichi! Nice new armor!

 

**Daichi:** Hello Sir Oguro! Nice… gibbering… erm.   
  
**Natsuka:** Ota, why are you carrying Yui and why is she  **crying?**

 

**Atsukenna:** Uh.

 

**Ota:** Uh.

 

**Ota:** … Can someone like, get an empty chair?   
  
_ Shiori immediately jumped from her seat, grabbed a chair and pushed it towards Ota as he set the gibbering girl down into it. I noticed she was tied up with a metal wire. I had no clue where they got that from. _

 

**Rouki:** So, where were you all?   
  


**Atsukenna:** Obviously, the new fucking floor.

 

**Tsubasa:** A new floor?   
  


**Ota:** Yeah, it was just kinda… there. The fence thing is gone.

 

**Ren:** We should probably check that out after we get this jazz done with.

 

**Miyako:** Obviously, but “this jazz” isn’t resolved.

 

**Kiyoshi:** Ugh, whatever- why is Yui both in bondage and crying?   
  
**Ota:** That’s… harder t’ explain.   
  
**Atsukenna:** Yeeeaaahh…

 

**Shiori:** Uh, w-what do you mean by that? Harder to explain?   
  
**Aiko:** Obvi, he means that it’s harder to explain than where they were. 

 

**Tsubasa:** Which isn’t a big deal, since where they took exactly one sentence.

 

**Ota:** I’d say this is… uhhh… a pretty big deal.

 

**Atsukenna:** That’s… um, kind of a big understatement.

 

**Miyako:** If it’s such a “big deal,” then say it. Out with it. Tick tock.   
  


**Daichi:** Do not worry, Sir Oguro and Maiden Mizuno, if it is emotionally troubling I shall make it my goal to improve your mood!   
  
_ It looked like neither of them wanted to say it, they both looked nervous and awkward, like a wallflower at their first (or any) prom. _ __  
__  
**Atsukenna:** …

 

**Atsukenna: Yui tried to kill me.** With a knife.

 

_ And no one spoke. Every pair of eyes was either staring at Atsukenna or Yui in awed silence.  _

 

**Yui:** I’m… out… let… I… go…

 

_ There was no rhyme or reason to the order of what Yui was saying, just a collection of distressed words and pleas for escape… she was usually so calm. _

 

_ … It was unsettling. _

 

\--

 

_ We decided that Ota should carry Yui around the second floor, or at least  _ **_to_ ** _ the second floor until she could get someone to look after her. Everyone found a place that suited them and I started to wander around. _

 

_ This floor was noticeably different from the first. It was wound like two long parallel hallways with bridges connecting them… Wouldn’t the hallways be bridges, since they’re not enclosed? I stopped thinking about that and glanced around my surroundings. There were stores on each of the walls, following the hallways, but it wasn't really very large since there weren’t many stores along the halls… BridgeHalls? _

 

_ The first store I walked into was a store that looks like it could be from a teen movie about makeup and dreams named “Blush Handmade Cosmetics.” _

 

_ Aiko was standing in the middle of it taking long, shrill gasps at the sheer volume and quality of it all. I could almost see stars in her eyes. _ __  
  


**Natsuka:** Hello… Aiko. I’m guessing you like the store?

 

**Aiko:** Like!? I never thought we’d get a  **Blush** in this hell zone! I love it!   
  
**Natsuka:** What exactly  **is** a Blush? It’s the store we’re in, but what makes it any different than any other makeup store.   
  
**Aiko:** … Do you… use makeup?   
  
**Natsuka:** Of course not. I don’t have time for that. Showering does enough.

 

**Aiko:** Okay good. Now I don’t have to be legitimately afraid for your mental health.   
  
_ It’s… not that serious. _

 

**Natsuka:** What?

 

**Aiko:** Everyone who’s ever even  **touched** a bottle of mascara or lip gloss knows what Blush is. It’s basically the best cosmetics store out there.   
  
_ Some part of me thinks you’re heavily exaggerating…  _

 

_ I glanced around the Blush and walked out concerned for Aiko. _ __  
  


_ The next store was dim inside, it’s sign just said “Hardware” in unformatted arial font. Professional. I walked into what I assumed was a hardware store and looked around. _

 

_ There were a few aisles with a collection of metal and hardware and tools or whatever, like some hammers, nails, and a metal wire. This is probably where they got the wire to tie up Yui. _

 

_ The store was, again, dimly lit. I would’ve thought that the light bulbs were inefficient, but when I looked up- _ __  
__  
**Natsuka:** There are  **no** light bulbs?!

 

**Monokuma:** G-gah!! Don’t say it all loud like that!?   
  
**Natsuka:** AH! WHERE’D YOU COME FROM!?

 

**Monokuma:** Oh never mind that! You asked about the light bulbs, right? 

 

**Natsuka:** I didn’t  **ask** anything. I just said there weren’t any bul-   
  
**Monokuma:** Shutcha trap and lemme explaaaaaaaain!!

 

**Natsuka:** … Guh,  **fine.**

 

**Monokuma:** BUDGET CUTS!!!   
  
**Natsuka:** … Is that it? That’s literally it?   
  
**Monokuma:** YUPYUPBYE-   
  
_ And with that, he disappeared. _   
  


**Natsuka:** God… I  **hate** that bear.

 

**Atsukenna:** Guh, same. I loathe that fucker.

 

**Natsuka:** OH GOD OKAY FUCK JESUS GOD-

 

_ Atsukenna was just suddenly there. I had no idea where she came from. After she stared at me for a few seconds I remembered that I needed to gain my composure back. _

 

**Natsuka:** … Hello. Atsukenna. I didn’t notice you. Hi. Hello.   
  
**Atsukenna:** …

 

**Atsukenna:** PFFF, HAHAAHAAAA! THAT WAS FUCKING GOLD, MAN!

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

**Natsuka:** I don’t understand. Atsukenna Mizuno. What was funny? Haha?   
  


_ I forced an awkward smile. God help me. _

 

**Atsukenna:** It’s just that uh… you’re usually so… 

 

_ Her face went from awkwardness to pure regret in a matter of seconds. _ __  
__  
**Atsukenna:** I’m gonna goooo…    
  
**Natsuka:** As you should.

 

_ She briskly walked away, moving her arms from side to side far more than you should for a brisk walk. I breathed deeply and breathed out again. After I was feeling calmer, I stepped out of the Hardware Store and wandered over to the nearest store. _

 

_ The sign said “Sweety Treats” and the outside was disgustingly pastel and cute. I walked inside and saw a serving area with a counter at the back of the room. Nothing much, it seemed like a bakery or a pastry shop. _ __  
_  
_ __ In the middle of the room was a chair… with Yui in it. Tsubasa and Ota were watching her, and Katsuo was in the back behind the counter (I could only tell because I looked behind it myself.)

 

**Natsuka:** … Do you think she’ll be alright?   
  
**Tsubasa:** … Maybe? She seems all sorts of screwed after attempting to murder someone. Apparently with a hammer? I dunno, man.

 

**Ota:** I’unno either… she’s pretty out of it.   
  
**Natsuka:** … Okay then.   
  
_ I don’t think Katsuo heard us since I could hear footsteps going away and towards us. He might have been baking something. Maybe. _

 

_ Next store is… two doors? Ren was beside a blue door looking mildly distressed with his ID in his hand. _ __  
__  
**Natsuka:** What’s going on here?   
  
**Ren:** Door’s not lettin’ me in.

 

**Natsuka:** … Why?

 

**Ren:** Probably because they’re divided between genders and it’s all blegh.

 

**Natsuka:** But you’re a boy, why wouldn’t you be let into the boy’s… what are these?   
  
**Ren:** Apparently they’re pools? I dunno bro Monokuma said so.   
  
**Ren:** But… to answer your question.

 

_ He he held up and his ID and flashed it on. Then, like the IDs always did, a name popped up. _

 

-YURI TAKEMOTO-

 

**Natsuka:** … Oh.   
  
**Ren:** Yup, so that’s pretty shit.

 

**Natsuka:** Well, you could always ask one of the boys for their handbooks?   
  


**Monokuma:** STRICTLY PROHIBITED!!   
  
**Natsuka:** GAHAA!   
  
**Ren:** Christicles!

 

**Monokuma:** I just made it a rule that you can’t lend your handbook to anyone! Check ya IDs.   
  


_ Ren tapped his ID and looked for the rules, after some swipes, lo and behold. _ __  
  


Students may not lend their Students IDs to any other student.

 

**Ren:** … There’s a loophole there. I’m sure of it.   
  
**Monokuma:** W-Whaa??   
  
**Ren:** I could just steal some dude’s handbook, no big.   
  
**Monokuma:** … Hm.

 

**Ren:** Or I could like, get Kuukiko’s handbook. I dunno where it is, but it’s probably somewhere. Maybe?   
  
**Natsuka:** It was probably dissolve- …    
  
_ … I need to stop thinking of that. _ __  
  


**Monokuma:** That’s wrong, Ms. Hino! Kuukiko Kawakami’s handbook was definitely not dissolved in the acid involved in his death caused by Emizu Hoshino, who was promptly executed in the execution “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary,” there’s no way that could happen!   
  
_ … _

 

**Ren:** … Learn tact you… monochrome… bear.   
  
**Monokuma:** I’ll learn tact when you learn how to roast, boyo.   
  


**Ren:** Aw dammit.   
  


**Monokuma:** Aaaaaaaanywaaaaays, yes, Kuukiko’s handbook is still perfectly intact. You just gotta find it!   
  
**Ren:** Ugh, dick move. __  
  


_ I decided to walk away from the pools before Monokuma could say anything else. _

 

_ The next store I walked into had a sign that said “Bullseye.” There wasn’t much actually different about it, it was just a normal general store with normal general things. Chishiko was just… there. Doing nothing. I guess with no crime scenes to alter and deaths to nearly cause and avoid she had nothing to do. _

 

**Chishiko:** I reaaaally like this store! It’s got everything! Notebooks, pens, pocket knives, alcohol, cereal so sugary your teeth melt just looking at it…  no necessity left unchecked~

 

_ It worries me that those are your necessities. _

 

**Chishiko:** … Soo~ What’re you doin’ here?   
  
**Natsuka:** I’m checking out this floor. Obviously.

 

**Chishiko:** … You come here often~?

 

_ I turned and walked away from that store faster than a mouse scurrying from a hawk. _

 

_ Almost as soon as I walked out of Bullseye, I heard a sound echo from the ceiling. _ __  
__  
***DING DONG DONG DING*** **  
****  
** **Monokuma:** You know the drill. Main plaza or death!

 

_ A-Again? He waited longer than this last time… could he be getting impatient- or is he just toying with our minds, fooling us into belie- _ __  
__  
**Chishiko:** Hey hey, stop thinkin’ so hard and get your butt down to the main plaza~ Like he said, Main Plaza or death~

 

_ After an obnoxious snigger, Chishiko merrily skipped down to the escalator… Well at least I was back to my senses. I walked towards the escalator as well and eventually reached the main plaza. Ota was carrying Yui, Atsukenna stayed to the back. _

 

_ After everyone was there, he popped up again, as always. _

_  
_ **Monokuma:** YO YO YO! What up my homeskizzles?

 

**Rouki:** I can’t tell if it’s blood or vomit in my mouth right now but you’re definitely physically harming me.

 

**Monokuma:** No one cares! Anyways, you’re probably wondering why I gathered you all like this so early.   
  
**Chishiko:** KNEW IT!

 

**Monokuma:** Well, that’s because…

 

**Monokuma:** There’s a super special secret attached to this motive!!   
  
**Kiyoshi:** A… secret?

 

**Monokuma:** Yuppins mcyup! A secret in the motive that I’m about to give to you!

 

_ After he said that, Monokuma threw a small tablet with a colorful casing at each of us. Some of them hit the ground, some students caught the one thrown at them, others got hit in the face. Mine fell on the ground. _

 

Chishiko Kamii

 

_ That’s what my tablet said. It wasn’t my name. _

 

**Tsubasa:** That…  isn’t my name. I think we got switched up?   
  
**Monokuma:** Nope! There are no assigned tablets!

 

**Aiko:** What are even on these things anyways?   
  
**Monokuma: Motivation.**

**Natsuka:** … That’s vague, elaborate.

 

**Monokuma:** Secrets! Lost memories! Whatever it takes to get you to kill each other again!   
  
**Monokuma:** You may even find out **who a traitor among you is.**

 

_ … A traitor? What traitor? _ __  
__  
**Miyako:** … I don’t understand, what do you mean by, “a traitor?”

 

**Monokuma:** Someone’s been workin’ under me since this whole thing started a few days ago. They’re  **basically my assistant.**

 

_ I could feel the glares at everyone looking at everyone else. A seed of doubt planted within our minds growing out from our eyes. If we aren’t careful it could grow to our mouths, or our bodies. _

 

**Monokuma:** Welp, that’s pretty much it. You kids have fun! Murder each other a lot! Preferably in a reaaaaal gruesome manner! Bye!   
  
_ And with that, he was gone, leaving us all in shock and doubting awe. _

 

_ None of us knew what to do. _

 

**Ren:** Man… that bear’s a real thot-   
  
**Kiyoshi:** Don’t finish that sentence… actually, go ahead, finish it, but wait for what I have to say.

 

**Kiyoshi:** Ever since the beginning of this killing game, you’ve been in denial. Making jokes and using your memes and what have you to dilute your sense of reality so you can function A okay! No problems here guys, vore!   
  
**Kiyoshi:** And you have the audacity to continue that. After Kuukiko was covered in acid and cut by glass tens upon hundreds of times. After Emizu was impaled after being tortured by her own talent for a vile “punishment.”

 

**Kiyoshi:** And the best part? Monokuma has been indulging you. Remember the school play, “Thotsukenna.” That was what he called Atsukenna. He’s driving you to lose yourselves. Every joke he makes is another reason for mind to cave in and  **die.**   
  
**Kiyoshi:** So, go ahead, Ren Takemoto. Finish that sentence. Destroy your sense of self and lose all empathy.   
  
**Kiyoshi:** I’ll be over here. Inside of reality. Away from you.   
  
**Ren:** …    
  


_ During that entire speech, Kiyoshi’s glare never faltered. It only grew more intense, more full of hatred. Ren was left speechless in a cold sweat. I would’ve been too, honestly. _

 

_ I looked at my side. Chishiko was there. I looked at my hands and at the tablet given to me. _

 

Chishiko Kamii

 

**Natsuka:** Take this. I don’t want it.

 

_ I shoved the motive pad into her and walked away at a somber pace. _ __  
__  
_ I wouldn’t let myself be tricked by Monokuma. _ __  
  


_ Not ever. _

_ \-- _ _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! We got a discord!  
> Discord link- https://discord.gg/3p29euH  
> Please only join if you're a FAN of the fic, please. Criticism is good, but please at least enjoy it if you join the fan server!  
> a good way to make ur writing flaws go away is to make them plotpoints B)  
> and heres a poll for the next FTE since i. shoulda made one earlier but fuck  
> \- http://www.strawpoll.me/13464313
> 
> \--  
> Confirmed Orientations  
> Ren- Transman


	10. [2] Daily Life: The Sky Will Fall and Drop the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsuka bonds, suspects, and sees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really sure there are any real CWs? So?????  
> Hopefully you enjoy this chapter, because i basically used all my motivation on it asdjlnksamdksalmd

_The rest of that day was spent in my room. Nothing more, nothing less, I barely even remember falling asleep, it was just a blur, which seems to be a pattern as of late._

 

 ***Ding dong, bing bong*** **  
**  


**Monokuma:** Hello hello my beautiful students and/or consumers! It’s seven AM, which means it's the perfect time to discover a body- I mean, wake up!

 

_Oh. Good. Morning. That means I’m not dead yet. That’s good… probably._

 

_I put on the same old clothes like always and walked out the door to get to the food court._

 

 _As I waited for everyone to get to breakfast, I found myself glancing around. Not in the normal way where you look around in boredom or curiosity. It’s the kind of glancing you do in your bed at two AM. When you’re terrified some sort of dark creature or murderer will lunge at you on your bed. That kind. I assumed it was because of the motive… why did I give_ **_her_ ** _my motive pad?_

 

_Yui was still tied up in the chair, Shiori had taken to feeding her lasagna. According to Shiori, it’s her favorite food, I guess? I think it’s at least good that she isn’t starving, then either Ota or Atsukenna might be considered a murderer even though they didn’t actually do anything…_

 

_Or… did they?_

 

_We all just started believing those two even though they had no substantial evidence aside from Yui being tied up and gibbering, but there are hundreds of other ways that could happen._

 

 _No, that happened before the motive was even_ **_announced_ ** _, of course they wouldn’t do that…_

 

 _But what if none of us really knew them? I’d already dismissed Ota as a pudgy hyper masculine jockish dudebro. I’d dismissed Atsukenna as a rebellious teenager who says she’s special and uses “XD” unironically… there’s no way their personalities are_ **_that_ ** _two-dimensional._

 

 _… I’m doubting too much. There’s no way I’ll survive if I suspect every person of doing everything, I’ll go insane. I should just go on with my day and… give them some disapproving glares on my way to bed toda-_ __  
  
**Ren:** You oka-  
  
**Natsuka:** GAH!!  
  
I then proceeded to fall out of my chair, directly onto the floor. Smooth.

 

 **Ren:** … Alright then. Just wanted to know why you were staring intently and unblinkingly at a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

 

_This is why I don’t like people._

 

\--

 

 _Despite my distaste for people, I think I should make sure people don’t_ **_entirely_ ** _loathe me so I don’t get murdered in my sleep or something. I don’t like death._

 

_Let’s review our options here… Miyako might snap my neck if I attempted to interact with her, Kiyoshi is an asshole, Rouki is also an asshole, Yui is basically comatose with the occasional murmur as of right now, Katsuo is… nice enough, Ren just made me jump out of my chair, Ota is generally agreeable but I’m not sure he’s innocent, Atsukenna just got nearly murdered, Aiko may sacrifice me to some lamb god, Daichi is the embodiment of human chivalry, Tsubasa is boring, Shiori is really nice, and Chishiko has the hots for me._

 

_Daichi seems like a good option, since he just swapped armors for… no apparent reason, actually. And so off I went to go scope out a giant man in a large suit of armor, which was just as hard as it sounded._

 

_\--_

 

_I knocked on Daichi’s door, he answered in a few seconds._

 

 **Daichi:** Ah, greetings Maiden Hino! What brings you here today?  
  
**Natsuka:** Curiosity.

 

 **Daichi:** Well, I was just testing a sword out for my collection before you came in! Would you like to see it?

 

_Daichi’s room was… classical. Rustic and medieval. The table (that I assumed we all had by now) was covered in carefully aligned swords that ranged from broadswords to katanas… well okay then._

 

_I sat on the bed and spent some time watching Daichi swinging a sword so well I was afraid I would be vivisected just by being within nine feet of him._

 

 **Daichi:** Haha! This sword is of proper quality, I shall add it to my collection!  
  
**Natsuka:** … What’s with you?  
  
**Daichi:** … Hrm?

 **Natsuka:** Why do you act like a knight and… wear armor and make swords?

 

At first I thought it was just something you liked doing, but then you… switched armors because of… those two.

 

It seems like some kind of weird way to get everyone inspired or whatever, but I don’t get why you chose to act like a knight?

 

 **Daichi:** …  
  
**Daichi:** It wasn’t… exactly… my decision, I suppose.

 

_What._

 

 **Natsuka:** Elaborate.

 

 **Daichi:** … I’d prefer not to talk about it, Maiden Hino.

 

 **Daichi:** But…  I’d like you to know that you are not the only one.  
  
**Natsuka:** … The only one of what?

 

 **Daichi:** It’s just an assumption, but your actions imply you come from a similar home to mine.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Hm?

 **Daichi:** You… do not enjoy your family, do you?

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

I don’t. Why do you know that?

 

 **Daichi:** Twas a guess.

 

_Daichi’s face was covered by his armor while he said that, but his voice sounded… bittersweet, like he was sad, but also a little happy in the same moment._

 

 **Daichi:** Very well then! It’s decided!

 

 **Natsuka:** Wait wh- what’s decided? What?

 

 **Daichi:** From this day forth I shall be your personal Sellsword!

 

_Sellsword? Those are…_

 

→ People who sell swords

→ Hired swordsmen

→ Librarian

 

 **Natsuka:** Aren’t sellswords hired swordsmen? They give their abilities to the highest bidder or whatever.

 **Daichi:** Well, yes, but I shall be yours!

 **Natsuka:** I don’t have any money.

 

 **Daichi:** Erm… I shall be your personal… Givesword! Like a Sellsword, but without the sell bit!

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

Thanks. I appreciate it… also, why did you just do that so suddenly?

 

 **Daichi:** Well, I believe we can get along rather well, so I decided to become your protector in order to talk with you a bit more!

 

 **Natsuka:** Oh. Alright then.

 

_Me and Daichi talked about why exactly he chose the word Sellsword when Personal Guardian was just as good of an answer._

  
_Daichi apparently had a horrible relationship with his parents, and he somehow saw that I didn’t either. He wants to bond more because of our similarities, so he decided to be my… Givesword. I guess._

 

 _As I walked out of Daichi’s room, I turned to walk into my own-_ __  
  
*CRASH*

 

_Suddenly I get into a collision with a hard thing with a soft exterior. I opened my eyes to see-_

 

_Atsukenna._

 

 **Atsukenna:** Ah, fuck, sorry. Are you okay?

 

 **Natsuka:** … Sure. I’m fine.

 

I pushed myself up and Atsukenna did the same.

 

 **Atsukenna:** You know what? I’m going to apologize to you in sweets, let’s go to the bakery.

 **Natsuka:** … I could just go there myself. We don’t have any currency so we can basically just steal whatever we wa-

 

 **Atsukenna:** I’M GOING TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU IN SWEETS, LET’S GO TO THE BAKERY.

 

_Atsukenna dragged me by the hand to the above floors bakery. I’m basically a puppet right now, aren’t I?_

\--

 

 **Atsukenna:** Hey, Katsuo!

 

Katsuo hopped up on a stool, letting us see him from behind the counter.  
  
**Katsuo:** Yes?

 

 **Atsukenna:** Can I get a fuckin’... uhhhh…

 

A chocolate cake. Medium sized. Circular.

 

 **Katsuo:** Alright, I’ll get it up soon enough!

 

_Katsuo chuckled awkwardly. He really needs to learn to stop being so uncomfortable._

 

_Atsukenna say us both at a table in the bakery… this is basically a restaurant._

 

 **Natsuka:** So… Atsukenna.

 **Atsukenna:** What’s up?

 

 **Natsuka:** How are you holding up after all of that?

 

 **Atsukenna:** … What do you mean by that-

 

_Suddenly, recollection flashed on her paling face._

**Atsukenna:** … Oh. Yeah. That.

 

_Yui was probably moved, since she wasn’t in the bakery right then. It was probably Ota._

 

 **Atsukenna:** Honestly… it kinda blows.

 

 **Natsuka:** Wow. Amazing. I would have _never guessed._ What an amazing insight you have bestowed upon me-

 

 **Atsukenna:** Shut your trap. I can’t word it right.

 

I-I don’t know how to describe it… I guess I feel kind of… guilty.

 

 **Natsuka:** … What.

 

You were nearly stabbed. To _death._ Why do you feel guilty?

 

_… Wait, if she WASN’T nearly stabbed… and she actually just helped orchestrate the entire situation to frame Yui, then of course she would feel guilty. This probably means that she was the one-_

 

_I need to stop that…  possibly._

 

 **Atsukenna:** See, I told you that it’s hard to explain!

 

Guh, I guess it’s just… I’m causing all this trouble for Yui and I just feel bad that I’m the reason that she’s tied up and crying and… constantly suspected and just… I don’t feel good.

 

 **Natsuka:** … She tried. To. Stab. You. To. Death.

 

 **Atsukenna:** Hey. I never said I’m fucking good at this shit.

 

 **Natsuka:** Ugh, whatever, I’ll change the topic for you or whatever.

 

What’s with your whole deal about your talent?

 

 **Atsukenna:** Oh, that’s… easier to explain, I guess.

 

I didn’t… earn my talent. I was just trained by the best, and I didn’t actually work, like, at all. I was on a set, boring path like some kind of arcade shooter. I’m not talented, ‘m just… lucky. I hate my talent because it isn’t real. Simple as that.

 

_Arcade shooter? Does she mean…?_

→ Firing a shotgun at an Arcade Machine

→ Capitalism

→ An on-rail shooter

 

 **Natsuka:** So, you think your life has been like, an on-rail shooter?

 

 **Atsukenna:** Yeah, basically.

 

 **Natsuka:** … That makes no sen-

 **Katsuo:** Cake’s ready!

 

 **Atsukenna:** Woah! How’d you make it that fast.

 

 **Katsuo:** Practice.

 

_I ate about a slice of chocolate cake before we made our way back._

 

\--

 

_I layed in my bed. It was around 8 PM, two hours before night time- I FORGOT THE CAKE._

 

_Much to my annoyance, I walked out of my room and speed-walked to the bakery._

 

 **Mildly Whiny Woman’s Voice:** Hey, if you don’t agree to my terms, then we aren’t doin’ _anything_ for you.

 

 **Overwhelmingly Average Man’s Voice:** Yeah, listen to her.

 

 **Very Deep Man’s Voice:** No fuckin’ way bitch! I ain’t doin’ that!

 

_There are… voices coming from Blush… I recognize them._

_I took a peek inside and hid as well as I could._

 

_And what I saw was..._

 

 **Aiko:** Aw, c’mon! You asked us first!

 

 **Tsubasa:** All you gotta do is let Aiko paint your nails, then we’ll watch her.

 

 **Ota:** … Fuckin’… **GOD!** Why’re you bein’ so unreasonable.

 

 **Aiko:** It’s legit just nails bitch, IDK what’s going on with your masculinity probs.

 

Pluuusss It’s cyan, totes not betraying your color scheme.

 

 **Tsubasa:** Yeah, cyan goes great with your color scheme.

 **Aiko:** Stop echoing.

 

_Aiko, Ota, and Tsubasa. Aiko was sitting on the counter, chewing what I prayed was bubble gum, Tsubasa standing behind her. Ota was in front of them, looking like a vein was going to pop directly out of his head and strangle them both._

 

 **Aiko:** If anything, you’re the one being unreasonable. We’re just trading services for services, we’re the ones you’re yelling at.

 

 **Ota:** Ghh… FUCKIN’ FINE, ON _ONE_ CONDITION.

 **Aiko:** Two.

 

 **Ota:** … What?

 

 **Aiko:** Two conditions. This would be your second condition.

 

 **Ota:** GOD, WHATEVER!

 

Just… gemme some gloves so no one’s gotta know.

 

 **Aiko:** What? That defeats the entire point of painting your nails- whatever. Tsubasa, run down to Killer Cuts and get some gloves in his size. If they have any.

 

 **Tsubasa:** On it.  
  
**Ota:** Shut it, bitch.

 _Tsubasa started mildly jogging towards the do- OH SWEET JESUS THEY’RE GONNA SEE ME STALKING RUN FOR YOUR LIFE NATSUKA Y. HINO_ **_FOR THE LOVE OF GOD-_ **

_And so I did._

_\--_

_The second I got in my bed, I felt even more exhausted. Was Ota just tired of constantly watching Yui, or was he… plotting something?_

 

_God fucking dammit. Shut up, my head. I barely noticed I fell asleep_

_\--_

***Ding dong, bing bong*** **  
**  


**Monokuma:** Hello hello my beautiful students and/or consumers! It’s seven AM, which means it's the perfect time to discover a body- I mean, wake up!

 

_Like always, it was morning, dress, walk to door, open door. People arrived at their own scheduled times… except for an… alarming amount of people…_

_Yui, Aiko, Tsubasa, Atsukenna, and Ota. They didn’t arrive._

 

 **Kiyoshi:** Oh, joy. Missing children. My favorite.

 

 **Miyako:** Deary me, why does this keep happening.

 

Very well, I take it upon myself to find them all.

 **Kiyoshi:** Stop. That’s dumb.  
  
**Chishiko:** Well, she IS dumb, let her do whatever she wants, nothing she does is gonna matter, ever~ She’s basically worthless~

 

_Miyako immediately left, her shoes clacking on the floor._

 

 **Shiori:** I-I should help her, I’m really worried too…

 

_And then she took after her._

 

 **Daichi:** I shall assist the two maidens as well!

_And then he walked off. We all saw them run through and inspect the rooms out of the corner of our eyes._

 

 **Katsuo:** …Does everyone think they’re okay?

 

 **Rouki:** Oh, definitely. Most of those people would either kill their attacker or aren’t worth anything. It’s nothing much.

 

 **Ren:** … It’s still kinda worrying. Like, that’s a lotta people.

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s probably fine, they might just be late. Most of them are a bit scatterbrained.

 

 **Ren:** … Alright. I guess.

 

_Everyone distracted themselves with breakfast for a little while, we heard loud metal footsteps above us, and then-_

 

 **Wavering Female Voice:** K-KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

 

 ***Ding Dong Dong Ding*** **  
**  


**Monokuma:** A body has been discovered!

 **Monokuma:** Now, after a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the class trial will begin!

 

 **Monokuma:** Good luck and have fun! Try not to die in the class trial!

 

_…_

 

_What?_

 

_I didn’t even notice my legs starting to run towards the upstairs before I could comprehend what was happening. The body discovery announcement? No, that’s not happening. It couldn’t be._

 

_There’s no possible way that this is happening._

_My eyes scanned for where the most people were, I saw Shiori and Miyako both staring in abject horror near the hardware store._

 

_They’re probably just staring at a demon rat or something there’s NO ONE that’s dead._

 

_No one…_

 

_That’s…_

 

_The victim’s body lay on the floor, with their head covered in blood and gore, making it lose its previous color at the origin of the hit._

 

_Tall. Taller than me, taller than Miyako, Shiori. Not as light. A bit heavier. Tall enough to be statuesque._

 

_There only looked like it was one hit, but the blood was all there. It looked like it had just emptied all the blood out of its head and poured it on the floor, leaving the original container to rot and spoil._

 

_This grotesque, vile, disgusting body, covered in the crimson essence of our lives wasn’t just any body. It wasn’t just any cadaver you see in the streets or whatever. Nothing like that._

 

_It was the body of our friend._

 

_…_

 

_…_

 

 **Natsuka:** Wh-what?

 

**ATSUKENNA MIZUNO**

**ULTIMATE GARDENER**

**STATUS: DEAD**

 

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALL BITCHES THOUGHT  
> YOU THOUGHT BITCH  
> YOU THOUGHT  
> i legit never intended for atsukenna to be seen as this rival character, like, ever. she was actually NEVER changed from her spot as a second victim.  
> [Unconfirmed Orientations]  
> Atsukenna- Bi, possibly trans but like........ i never decided.


	11. [3] Deadly Life: The Sky Will Fall and Drop the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remaining students investigate their friend's corpse... most of them, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i. i forgot if there are any CWs in this i apologize
> 
> i feel like this chapter is written in a rlly rushed style soooooooooooooooo i also apologize for that asdiusadsajd

_It seemed like time had stopped. No one else existed, the screams that rang out from behind my back were only the softest breeze compared to the static inside my own head._

 

_Atsukenna Mizuno had died. She had been killed by one of the 13 of us left. It didn’t feel real, I had just talked to her yesterday, asked about her mind after she was nearly killed by one of us, about her talent. And now here she was, on the ground and covered in her own blood._

 

 **Kiyoshi:** Oh, joy, it happened again. Amazing, I’m proud of you all.

 

 **Daichi:** Wh-what’s going on!? I heard the body discover-

 

 **Daichi:** GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?! W-WHAT?! MAIDEN MIZUNO?!

 

 **Kiyoshi:** Wait a fucking- Daichi, you didn’t see the body until right now?!

 **Daichi:** O-of course!!

 **Kiyoshi:** … Interesting. Very interesting.

 

_I ignored Kiyoshi’s strangeness and just kept staring with every synapse of my brain telling me to look away, but my neck wouldn’t twist, like it was locked in place on my shoulders._

 

 **Chishiko:** Oo, oh, damn. That looks like it hurt, heh~

 

Waaait, does this mean there’s gonna be another triiiiiaaalll???

 

 **Monokuma:** OF COURSE!

 

 **Chishiko:** Aw man, do we haftaaa? I was planning on watching a movie.

 

 **Rouki:** The trial last time was only an hour or two long. If you somehow manage to survive, you should be able to.

 

 **Katsuo:** Sh-shut it, someone’s just died! You should have at least _some_ kind of emotion other than mild annoyance!

 

 **Chishiko:** Uhh… Oh my bees! My absolute greatest friend Atsukenna of the Mizuno family has become deceased! Oh, the absolute horror I face! I could just waterboard myself with the tears erupting from my eyes!

 

 **Miyako:** … I-I do not think that The Chinchilla meant a bluff, I believe he was pointing out your sociopathic tendencies.

 

 **Monokuma:** HEY!! STOP IGNORING ME! I HAVE CRUUUCIAL EVIDENCE!!

 

 **Aiko:** Th-then spit it out you… fuckwipe!

 

 **Monokuma:** GASPS! I’ve never been called that befor-  
  
**Aiko:** No one cares, just give us the evidence!

 

 **Monokuma:** Aww, okay then… I’ll just go wait in my super secret special hiding place…

 

But not before I give you the Patented Monokuma File NUMERO DOS!!!

 

 **Natsuka:** … A-again?

 

 **Monokuma:** Yup!

 

_Monokuma handed us all a copy of the Monokuma file._

 

The victim is Atsukenna Mizuno.

The cause of death is blunt force head trauma.

There only appears to be one wound on her body.

 

_… Is that it?_

 

 **Natsuka:** You forgot the time of death!

 

 **Monokuma:** …

 

BYE!

 

 **Natsuka:** WAIT A SECOND-

 

_And then he disappeared._

 

 **Natsuka:** God damn it… why’d he leave out the time of death?!

 

 **Shiori:** I-it’s possible that… knowing the time of death could possibly lead us to the killer easier than expected.

 

 **Kiyoshi:** Yes, true. We should probably begin our investigation, the clock has already started ticking.

 

_… He’s right. I need to figure out who killed Atsukenna, because… if we don’t… we’ll all die…_

 

_And that’d be far worse than last time._

 

**INVESTIGATION START!**

 

_Since we don’t know the time of death, testimonies should help a lot. I walked up to Daichi._

 

 **Natsuka:** Daichi, why weren’t you with Shiori and Miyako when the body was discovered?

 

 **Daichi:** Hm? How did you learn that so quickly?  
  
**Natsuka:** You ran in when the announcement was heard.

 

 **Daichi:** Oh, that’s correct. Maiden Hirai and Maiden Maeda informed me that I should look elsewhere while they searched the Hardware Store, I deemed it efficient and… then that… happened.

_… Noted._

 

_Aiko, Tsubasa, and Ota are here… hm._

 

 **Aiko:** Guhh… this totally sucks, I’m gonna… ugh…

 

 **Natsuka:** Did you watch her?

 

 **Aiko:** … What?

 

 **Natsuka:** Did you uphold the deal?

 

 **Tsubasa:** How do you know about that?

 

_… Shit… how do I tell him?_

 

 **Natsuka:** I eavesdropped. Spied, if you will.

 

_Amazing._

 

 **Aiko:** … Ugh, whatever. Yeah, we held it up. No biggie. She’s in the bakery right now.

 

 **Natsuka:** I’m going to go check on her.

 

 **Aiko:** Yeah, I’ll go too.

 

_We walked to the bakery and saw Yui, tied up in the chair with the same old metal rope._

 

 **Yui:** …

 

Please… untie me…

 

 **Aiko:** … Wait a sec, did she just say something?

 

 **Tsubasa:** That hasn’t happened yet.

 

 **Natsuka:** We should probably untie her.

 

 **Aiko:** What?! No way, she’s probably dangerous!

 

 **Tsubasa:** Yeah, I agree!

 

_You ALWAYS agree with her…_

 

 **Natsuka:** Ugh, whatever, I’ll untie her then.

 

_I walked up to Yui and began to untie her…_

 

_Or, at least I tried._

 

_What the fuck? This wire is basically un-... untieable. Un-untieable._

 

 **Natsuka:** I need something to cut this with…

 

Aiko was suddenly right by me.

 

 **Aiko:** You gotta cut something?

 

 **Natsuka:** GAH!!

 

_I nearly fell to the floor, but I somehow kept my footing._

 

 **Natsuka:** Eh-ehm… yes, I do. Do you have a knife on you? I remember you saying your bag was just filled with books.

 

 **Aiko:** Ooohh baby, you’re not ready for this.

 

_Aiko opened up her bag and inside it were… books. She took one out and opened it-_

 

_THOSE AREN’T PAGES. THAT’S A KNIFE._

 

 **Aiko:** Trap pages. I’ve only got like, two or three _actual_ books in here.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Why am I surprised?

 

 **Aiko:** Because you think we’re all normal.

 

_Aiko took the knife (which I realized looked… kind of sacrificial) and cut the wire with minimal effort. Does that take… practice?_

 

_Yui slowly got out of the chair and looked at us with her big, tired red eyes._

 

 **Yui:** Who was it…? Wh-who died?

 

 **Tsubasa:** Atsukenna. She died.

 

 **Yui:** … No… not her… w-why… her…?

 

_She started crying. There was no sound, just tears. It was a little heartbreaking before you remember she tried to kill her a few days before._

 

 **Yui:** … That’s it… I-I swear, that I’m gonna find Atsukenna’s killer… N-no matter… what…

 

 **Tsubasa:** That’s… pretty freaky.

 

_I decided to walk out of the room then, I didn’t want to look at her. The next best place would probably be… the room where she was killed._

_  
_ _She was still on the ground, covered in blood, nothing had changed. It’s like she was just frozen in time._

 

 **Chishiko:** Hey, Tubby~  
  
**Ota:** Ay, stop callin’ me that!

 

 **Chishiko:** First off: No, second off: see that one girder thing?

 **Ota:** Uh… yeah? What about it?

 

 **Chishiko:** Throw me up there!

 

 **Ota:** What the fu-!? NO! WHY!?

 

 **Chishiko:** Weeelll, I see some marks up there, and I wanna investigate ‘em!

 

 **Ota:** … Fuckin’… sure.

 

_Chishiko put her arms out to her sides and locked her legs together, Ota grabbed her and threw her with extreme caution… she got on top of the girder._

 

 **Chishiko:** AHA! YES!

 

 **Miyako:** What is it, Devil?

 

 **Chishiko:** There are lotsa marks on this here girder right here! I _WONDER_ how they got here~?

 

_That… could be important. I’ll keep note of it. Wait._

 

_I looked at one of the boxes and… is that a…?_

 

_At the bottom of the box, I saw a towel._

 

 **Natsuka:** Why’s there a towel in there?

 

 **Miyako:** Hm… we should probably retrieve it. I’d ask The Servant, since she’s rather fond of manual labor, but…

 

She went to investigate the bottom floor.

 

 **Natsuka:** I’ll get it, I guess.

 

_I dug through the box and found some… interesting things at the bottom._

 

 **Natsuka:** A-a dumbbell? It’s… covered in blood… and there’s this… wire?

 

_The wire was very long, it looks like it was originally put into a loop, but it was cut. There weren’t any other cuts or knots. The dumbbell had a large “25” written in bold white text on it._

 

 _Ota was helping Chishiko down as I was saying that._   
  
**Chishiko:** Try putting it around your waist!

 

_… Why? Well, whatever, it couldn’t hurt. I put the cut loop around my waist._

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s only a little bigger than mine.

 

 **Miyako:** It’s possible that it could be useful. I believe we should keep that in mind. Is it also correct to assume that dumbbell is the murder weapon?

 

Another thing that could possibly be useful is this.

 

_She showed a piece of plastic._

 

 **Miyako:** It appears to go with the metal wire, it only names the brand and a few warnings.

 

It reads “Warning: This product can only support up to 350 lbs.” That could be useful.

 

 **Natsuka:** It… could be.

 

 **Chishiko:** You should also, like, actually check out the towel. It’s kinda obvious~

 

_I’m basically just Chishiko’s cat right now…_

 

_I did check out the towel, though, and on it there was-_

 

 **Miyako:** My oh my! That’s blood!

 

 **Chishiko:** Ooh, nice. Blood.

 

 **Natsuka:** … The blood on Atsukenna seems… not very wiped up, to say the least…

 

 **Chishiko:** Hm, I _WONDER_ what that could mean~!

 

_She totally knows._

 

_I should gather another testimony or two before I go downstairs. I walked to the nearest person that wasn’t already with me._

 

 **Natsuka:** Tsubasa.

 **Tsubasa:** Yeah?

 

 **Natsuka:** You went to Killer Cuts last night, right?

 

 **Tsubasa:** For like nine seconds, I didn’t even see anyone on my way there. It’s really not important, at all.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Oh.

 

_Well, that was useless. Maybe someone else has something useful. Shiori is basically a human evidence machine, and she’s… downstairs._

 

_I took the escalator downstairs._

 

_Shiori was in the gym, looking intently at her binder. Extremely intently. I was genuinely impressed by how intently she was looking at that binder._

 

 **Shiori:** *Mutter mutter mutter mutter* …

 

 **Natsuka:** … What are you doing?

 **Shiori:** KYAAA!! Y-You scared me!!

 

 **Natsuka:** GAH! Christ…

 

A-anyways, did you confirm the murder weapon?

 

 **Shiori:** Hm?

 

 **Natsuka:** The murder weapon was a dumbbell. It probably came from here.

 

 **Shiori:** … That’s strange…

 

_What?_

 

 **Shiori:** I-I’ve been counting the different potentially dangerous weapons ever since the killing game was announced…

 

 **Shiori:** There were exactly 20 d-dumbbells of varying weights ranging from 2 to 120 pounds at the beginning… and there are still 20 dumbbells.

 

 **Natsuka:** … What? There’s another dumbbell in the Hardware Store.

 

 **Shiori:** R-really?! That’s strange, very strange…

 

I’m a-absolutely positive that the number of dumbbells is the same at the beginning of the killing game…

 

_That’s… weird. Too weird for it to not be important._

 

 **Shiori:** I-I’m going to go check on that other dumbbell!

 

_And off she ran. I searched for other people. There was Rouki in Killer Cuts, so I went there._

 

 **Natsuka:** Do you have a testimony?

 

 **Rouki:** A testimony, as in?

 

 **Natsuka:** An alibi. Something useful.

 

 **Rouki:** An alibi is far easier than a testimony. I was in this store from around 7 PM to night time.

 

Why do you ask? Are you looking to find the culprit all on your own?

 

 **Natsuka:** Of course not, I just want to… help.

 

 **Rouki:** Good. You should have helped more last tri-

 

_I walked away._

 

_Anything els-_

 

**_*DING DONG BING BONG*_ **

 

 **Monokuma:** Ugh, fiiiinally! It’s time for a class trial!  
  
**Monokuma:** Just like before. Come to the main plaza!

 

 **Monokuma:** Remember to have good luck and great fun!

 

_Well, I guess it’s time… time to convict, to fear, to cry, to shout, to execute…_

 

_Time for the class trial._

 

_\--_

 

_All of us lined up by the fountain._

 

 **Yui:** I-I’m gonna find the killer, no matter what…!

 

 **Miyako:** You _are_ one of the more… likely suspects, but I shall put away my bias for the moment.

 

 **Yui:** … I-I understand… ‘s okay.

 

 **Kiyoshi:** The killer would probably claim to be helping while they do nothing, which is exactly what you’ve been doing this investigation.

 

 **Yui:** …

 

 **Monokuma:** HEY!! HEYY!!! It’s time!

 

_I might as well gauge their reactions. I walked up to each of them._

 

 **Shiori:** Ooo… why’d it have to be Ms. Mizuno?

 

 **Ren:** God, there was… so much blood.

 

 **Yui:** I-I need to find the culprit…

 

 **Miyako:** Truly, a tragedy… the culprit shall be found, I bet my life on it.

 

 **Aiko:** We have alibis, so…

 

 **Tsubasa:** Yeah, listen to her.

 

 **Katsuo:** I… I gave her a cake just yesterday, and she’s just… gone.

 

 **Ota:** I-I really hope we find the killer…

 

 **Rouki:** This murder seems fairly simple, we’ll find the culprit.

 

 **Daichi:** This is… saddening, to say the least.

 

 **Chishiko:** Woo~!! I’m gonna get to watch a movie~!

 

 **Kiyoshi:** This shouldn’t be too hard.

 

 **Monokuma:** Now, is everyone ready to get into the elefountain?

 

 **Ren:** Nope! Not at all! Haha!

 

 **Kiyoshi:** That doesn’t matter. We’re still being forced to do this.

 

 **Ren:** Doesn’t change how much I totally don’t wanna do this!

 

 **Natsuka:** Let’s just… go in, or whatever.

 

_The elevator felt much less crowded than before._

 

_Atsukenna Mizuno was loud, abrasive, and rebellious. She acted out of impulse and nearly got herself killed because of it, but she was quick to defend her friends and act when it was necessary…_

 

_And now she’s dead._

 

__

 

 

_Someone in this room right now is a murderer. They killed her, and now no one’s ever going to talk with her again. Most of us probably won’t even remember her._

 

_It’s our job to figure out who killed her. It’s our duty to find and execute her murderer._

 

__

 

_I don’t want to do this… I don’t want anyone else to do this either… but we have to. Even if the murder was accidental or sympathetic, we need to vote for the killer. Their lives or all of ours…_

 

_No matter how much I don’t want to do this, it’s almost time…_

 

__

 

_For the second class trial._

 

*DING!*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the killer is probably obvious but uwu go fuck yourself  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13700892 who do you think the killer is?


	12. [4] Trial: The Sky Will Fall and Drop the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a trial for the dearly departed commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
> im not sure if there are any cws so if u see any lemme know bruh B)  
> this chapter is probably REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY rushed tbh so forgive that if u can B)  
> Enjoy, hopefully!

_ As I walked into the trial room, I noticed something… _

 

**NATSUKA:** … Is this…?

 

**MONOKUMA:** Redecorated? CORRECT!

 

_ The room was painted a very soft, light blue. It was covered in clouds too, it was generally just… very… aesthetic? Like a certain website had invaded the courtroom. _

 

**MONOKUMA:** Of course I couldn’t just leave y'all in the same old room all the time, so I decided to spice it up a li’l bit!

 

 **ROUKI:** [Scowling] This is… very pastel. I feel like I’m being called a “soft boy” on the internet just by being in this room.

 

**MONOKUMA:** Well, of course, that’s because I know what’s popular!

 

Pastel is in! the whole goth scene is sooooooooooo boring!! So 2007! I’d rather die than go goth now!

 

**MIYAKO:** … 

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Immense irritation] WHATEVER. Let’s just get this trial over with.

 

**MONOKUMA:** AAARGHH!! PAY ATTENTION TO MY INTERIOR DESIGN-DOM!!!!!

 

**SHIORI:** S-SOMEONE IS DEAD! Please, c-can we just begin the trial?

 

**MONOKUMA:** Fine, I’ll just explain it again so we can refresh those who forg-   
  
**OTA:** [Seething] DO IT QUICK YA LITTLE BITCH!

 

**MONOKUMA:** G-GYAH!!! THECLASSTRIALISATIMEWHENYOUDISCUSSWHOTHEKILLERISWHICHISDECIDEDBYMAJORITYVOTEIFTHEMAJORITYVOTESFORTHEKILLERTHEYGETEXECUTEDIFYOUVOTEFORSOMEONEWHO’SNOTTHEKILLERTHENEVERYONEBESIDESTHEKILLERISEXECUTEDANDTHEKILLERGETSTOGOFREE!!!

 

**KATSUO:** That… was super fast.

 

**KIYOSHI:** No time for that, just go to your podiums.

 

_ I glanced at the podiums. There were two new portraits. In between Ota and Daichi was a portrait of Atsukenna with a stylized X in the shape of two flowers. _

 

_ Between Yui and Chishiko was a portrait of… Emizu. Two bottles. _

 

_ I walked to my podium as the remaining students did the same. _

 

**CLASS TRIAL: START!**

\--

 

_ As the dreary atmosphere began to settle onto our grieving souls, no one said a word. It was just quiet. _

 

**MONOKUMA:** UGH, you’re all so annoyingly quiet! Just start already!

 

**TSUBASA:** [Anger] Well then where the hell do we start!?

 

**REN:** [Hand on chin] In a lotta detective games and shows and stuff, the people inside usually decipher how the murder actually happened, and then they use that info to break down alibis and decide on a killer… But this isn’t a game, so… 

 

**KATSUO:** That… sounds good, but what do we start with?

 

**MIYAKO:** [Hands folded at waist] May we start with the murder weapon? It’s fairly obvious that it’s the dumbbell found inside the crate.

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Awkward winking pose, cutesy] Well DUH! That’s totally ooobviii~! But was it just used as a boring old mace, or did the killer do somethin’ interesting~?

 

**NONSTOP DEBATE!**

 

**DAICHI:** How did the killer use the dumbbell?

Did they  **use it like an average… murderer?**

 

**MIYAKO:** It’s probable that the killer simply  **dropped it using the wire** and pulled it back up.

 

**AIKO:** Maybe they, like,  **threw it or something?**

 

**ROUKI:** [Crossed arms] Of course not. That’d be totally unnecessary.

If you’re going to throw something, then why choose something that heavy?

 

**YUI:** I-if we don’t know now, we should come back to this later!

 

\--

 

_ Something must be wrong with something they just said… I need to use my evidence to figure this out… _

 

**[** **MIYAKO:** It’s probable that the killer simply  **dropped it using the wire** and pulled it back up.]

 

SOLUTION: Un-Untieable Wire

 

[No, that's wrong!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

**NATSUKA:** Miyako, I have evidence that goes against that.

 

**MIYAKO:** [Hand on mouth] Oh, you do? I beg of you to inform me.

 

**NATSUKA:** [Neutral pose, serious expression]When we found Yui, I suggested we untie her. When we tried, I found that it was almost impossible to untie. There was only one tie on the wire, it was a loop which was cut.

 

**MIYAKO:** So… you are suggesting that the wire is very difficult to untie?

 

**NATSUKA:** Yes. Since that is literally what I just said.

 

**OTA:** [Crossing arms] Sooo… wait. Why the fuck was there fuckin’... wire n’ shit if it wasn’t used on the fuckin’ dumbbell?!

 

**YUI:** [Hiding in feather boa] Mm… I dunno, but I feel like we dunno nuff about the case t’ answer it…..

 

**REN:** Isn’t everything a mystery in… a mystery case?

 

**SHIORI:** [Pointing] P-Please don’t take everything M-Ms. Kajiwara says at face value! It’s very rude!

 

**KATSUO:** U-uh… Look on the bright side!

[Smiling warmly] Now that we know what  _ didn’t  _ happen, it’ll be a little easier to figure out what did!

 

**CHISHIKO:** I mean, it’s prob’ly gonna be reaaaaaaaaal easy once we figure it out~! Like, really easy! Haha!

 

**OTA:** [Deep thought] … 

[Unsure, sweating] H-hey… are we sure that even, like matters at this point?

 

**MIYAKO:** [Tilting head] Hm? What do you mean, Ogre? 

This is a mystery case, dear. Everything matters, from your hairstyle to your chemical wiring.

 

**OTA:** N-n-no, not… not like that… 

Why the fuck’re we wastin’ time on the murder method n’ shit when we  _ already  _ know who fuckin’ killed Atsukenna!

 

_ … _

_ Huh? _

 

**REN:** [Embarassed] … Bro. That’s not how this works. We have legit no clue.

 

**AIKO:** [Rubbing temples] Seriously, Ota, you’re literally gonna give me a fucking aneurysm! We’ve been in this trial for like, I dunno, 10 minutes? Tops?

How the fuck would we know who the killer is?!

 

**OTA:** [Livid] COMMON SENSE!

 

_ Huh? _

 

**OTA:** [Arms reaching in front of him, palms down] O-okay… think about it.

You wanna get out so you can get to yer like, super big fanbase… so you gotta kill someone…

B-but uh… uh… 

 

**ROUKI:** When you try to, you slip up and learn you’re so useless you can’t even kill someone right.

 

**OTA:** …

 

**ROUKI:** [Rolling eyes] The culprit is Yui.

 

**YUI:** H-uh?!

 

**ROUKI:** Well, yes. No matter how much we discuss this murder, there’s no way around the fact that Yui finished Atsukenna off after attempting to murder her the day before.

 

**YUI:** W-w-w-wait, y-you’ve got it a-all w-wrong I-!

 

**REN:** HEY! In detective stuff, the first suspect is  _ never  _ the actual culprit!

 

 **SHIORI:** [Awkward smile] … Mr. Takemoto, t-that’s fictional.

 

**OTA:** [Turning away] … I-I don’t wanna do this… b-but… she’s th-the most likely suspect… 

 

**DAICHI:** Th-though I’d hate to condemn Maiden Kajiwara…

 

She does seem like the most likely culprit.

 

**YUI:** P-please, I-I’m not the killer! I-I don’t wanna… please just… 

 

**MIYAKO:** It’s… certainly a plausible outcome.

 

_ Everyone seems really sure that Yui’s the killer… but I really don’t think that’s true. I might have evidence that goes against that. _

 

**[NONSTOP DEBATE!]**

 

**OTA:** No matter how long we gotta argue about it…

 

**OTA:** T-the killers  **prob’ly Yui…**

 

**ROUKI:** [Hands behind back] Oh, definitely.

 

**KATSUO:** A-are you sure? That’s kind of a big leap…

 

**MIYAKO:** Due to the Ogre’s insistence, we can infer…

That he most likely  **was** **_not_ ** **watching her…**

 

**DAICHI:** M-meaning that Maiden Kajiwara was  **completely unwatched for the night?**

 

**MIYAKO:** That could have given her a clear chance for murder.

 

**ROUKI:** Then that’s it then? Showtimes over, we can vote now.

 

_ … No, there’s something that only me and a few other people know that disproves what that person just said. _

 

[ **DAICHI:** M-meaning that Maiden Kajiwara was  **completely unwatched for the night?** ]

 

SOLUTION: Aiko and Ota’s Deal

 

[No, that's wrong!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

**NATSUKA:** I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Daichi.

 

**DAICHI:** Hm? Did I say something wrong? U-uh- Please correct me!!

 

_ He’s… pretty weird. _

 

**NATSUKA:** Take a look at Ota’s hands. What’s different about them?

 

_ I saw most everyone’s eyes turn to glance at Ota’s hands, who was trying to hide them. _

 

**CHISHIKO:** Woah!! He’s wearin’ gloves! Thanks Tubby, now I don’t have to look at your obese ham hands!   
  
**OTA:** [Clenching fist, livid] FUCK OFF! I KNOW I  _ AM  _ BUT STOP FUCKIN’ CALLIN’ ME FAT!

 

**CHISHIKO:** Well, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

 

_ … When’s she going to stop? _

 

**CHISHIKO:** aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

 

**MIYAKO:** [Worried] … Is she… alright? Do you think she’ll run out of oxygen and suffocate?

 

**CHISHIKO:** aaaaaaaatever! 

 

**KATSUO:** Oh. Good. She’s done.

 

**NATSUKA:** The reason I point them out… Ota, would you mind taking them off?

 

**OTA:** … U-uh-   
  
**ROUKI:** Go on, Ota. Take them off.

 

**OTA:** S-sure. Fine.

 

_ He picked off his gloves and placed them on the podium, and then he showed his hands to the others. _ __  
__  
**KATSUO:** … Cyan?

 

**OTA:** Sh-shut it… I didn’t wanna…

They look like… girly, I ain’t girly… dumbass.

 

**CHISHIKO:** Woo!! Now your big, dumb ugly hands are way pleasing-er to look at!

 

**MIYAKO:** So, the Ogre had his nails painted… how does that prove Yui’s innocence?

 

_ Why does Ota having his nails painted help prove Yui isn’t the killer…? _

_ → Yui has hers painted too. _

**_→ Aiko and Ota’s deal._ **

_ → His nails are so beautiful that Yui was immediately purified of all unholy desire. _

 

 **NATSUKA:** Because Aiko and Ota had a deal.  
  
**DAICHI:** [Horrified] A deal, you say?! W-was it a… blood pact?!?!

Maiden Hibarayashi, did you secretly kill Sir Oguro and put Maiden Mizuno’s soul inside of his body!?

To think that he would give up the essence of his life so easily… how selfless… 

 

 **OTA:** [Hand by head, awkward smile] … _Dude._

 

**NATSUKA:** … No. Their deal was that Aiko and Tsubasa would watch Ota if Aiko was allowed to paint Ota’s nails.

 

Needless to say, he accepted, which makes it much, much harder for Yui to be the culprit.

 

**AIKO:** Yeah, me and Tsubasa watched her until she fell asleep, which was around… Bassy?

 

**TSUBASA:** 11 PM.

[Chuckling] Well, technically 11 PM, she had like, 3 miniature naps before we could leave.

 

**AIKO:** [Anime girl pose] Super computer Tsubasa back at it again!

 

[Suddenly normal pose] And not to mention, she was tied up, so, like… yeah.

 

**CHISHIKO:** You dogs are honestly so fucking dumb that you thought  _ she  _ was the killer? Step off. The only thing she could kill is a mirror. That’s why she failed the first time~

 

**YUI:** … 

 

I need t-to find the real culprit.

 

**CHISHIKO:** Yeah yeah we get it, you’re all determined to get an anime redemption arc after you tried murdering someone.    
No one changes. No one gets better. Everyone just lies until they don’t know what the truth is anymore. That’s why you’re nothing.

You’re not special because you tried to change. You’re just another nobody who’s gonna give up soon after they realize that it’s pointless.

 

**YUI:** … 

 

**REN:** … U-uh. Let’s just ignore her and uhh… keep on truckin’, keep on fuckin’!

 

**SHIORI:** … Wait.

 

_ Huh? _

 

**OTA:** Uhh… What’s up?

 

**SHIORI:** I-I just noticed something, I-I think it might be important!!

 

**KIYOSHI:** If you noticed something, spit it out. Don’t go making a scene because you want to be dramatic or whatever.

 

**SHIORI:** W-well… Ms. Hino’s account, combined with something that I noticed earlier…

 

I-I’m not sure if it’ll prove who the culprit is, but… I definitely believe it’ll prove a suspicious person!

 

**KATSUO:** W-well, can you please just… say it?

 

**SHIORI:** U-uh… while I was investigating t-the bottom floor, I noticed a-a really strange thing…

 

U-uh… It was…

 

**KIYOSHI:** If you’re having so much trouble saying it, then it can’t be important.

 

**NATSUKA:** Shiori, you’re talking about the dumbbells?

 

**SHIORI:** Th-thank you, Ms. Hino. 

 

**AIKO:** What about ‘em? Are they, like, important?

 

**ROUKI:** Could be.

 

**[NONSTOP DEBATE!]**

 

**SHIORI:** T-the dumbbells are  **very important to this case!**

 

**KIYOSHI:** [Rolling eyes] Obviously. One was  **used as a murder weapon,** that’s obviously important.

 

**REN:** Well… Shiori’s usually right, so… 

 

**AIKO:** Yeah, but she’s not, like, a **supercomputer.** She can get things wrong.

 

The killer just…

 

Went and got a dumbbell  **from the gym** and killed Atsukenna with it.

 

**SHIORI:** U-uhhh… I’m not entirely sure…

 

**KIYOSHI:** The gym is the only place with dumbbells, Shiori. That’s why it's a gym.

 

_ There’s definitely something wrong there, and I have the evidence to disprove it. _

 

[ **AIKO:** Went and got a dumbbell  **from the gym** and killed Atsukenna with it.]

 

SOLUTION: Shiori’s Account

 

[No, that's wrong!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

\-----------

 

**NATSUKA:** No, according to Shiori’s account, the gym had every dumbbell it had since the beginning.

 

**AIKO:** Huh, really? That’s… really weird.

 

**TSUBASA:** Is it possible that the killer took the dumbbell back to the gym after the murder?

 

**MIYAKO:** No, it’s not. While the Servant was investigating the gym, the Devil, the Ogre, the Rose and I were investigating the Hardware Store, which is where we discovered the dumbbell.

 

**NATSUKA:** [Wearily pointing at herself] … I’m guessing I’m ‘The Rose’?

 

**MIYAKO:** Yes. Yes you are.

 

**NATSUKA:** Okay then…

 

**SHIORI:** A-anyways, because of something that I-I remembered...

 

I think… that I’ve found someone suspicious…

 

_ Why does she say that…? _

 

→ There’s a dumbbell cloning machine.

→ Aiko can summon dumbbells with a ritual.

**→ The talent based rooms.**

 

**NATSUKA:** You mean the talent rooms, right? Every room is catered to their occupant’s talent.

 

**SHIORI:** Y-yes. That.

 

I think that…  someone must have gotten the dumbbell from their talent room, which means that…

 

_ … I know. That suspicious person must be… them! _

 

**[SELECT SOMEONE]**

 

[1] Natsuka Hino

[2] Tsubasa Komatsu

[3] Aiko Hibarayashi

[4] Miyako Hirai

[5] Ota Oguro

[6] Daichi Fujikawa

[7] Atsukenna Mizuno  **X**

[8] Chishiko Kamii

[9] Emizu Hoshino  **X**

[10] Yui Kajiwara

[11] Rouki Hasagawa

[12] Katsuo Sugai

[13] Shiori Maeda

[14] Ren Takemoto

[15] Kiyoshi Arita

[16] Kuukiko Kawakami  **X**

 

**SELECT: [5] Ota Oguro**

  
  


**NATSUKA:** Ota, you’re the Ultimate Weightlifter, am I wrong?

 

**OTA:** Uh… Yeah, what’s up with it?

[Flexing with a smirk] You gonna tell me I ain’t look it? Cuz if you wanna, these pythons are beggin’ to fuckin’ disagree!!

 

**NATSUKA:** [Slumps shoulders, annoyed expression] No. That’s absolutely troglodytic.

What I was going to say is that there are only two place in the floors we have available to get a dumbbell.

The first would be the gym, PumpIt!, but we know that there’s no way that the culprit could have used one from there…

The second would be the room of someone who’s talent revolves around training by lifting heavy shit.

 

**OTA:** [Noticeably uncomfortable] … Yeeeahh… and?

 

**NATSUKA:** [Thinking pose, hand on chin] While it’s possible that Tsubasa or possibly Daichi would have weights in their rooms, I really doubt that they wouldn’t have gotten them from the Gym… 

Meanwhile, you, Ota, have the perfect talent to have weights in your room.

You’re the  **Ultimate Weightlifter.**

 

**DAICHI:** W-WHAAT!? SIR OGURO IS THE CULPRIT?!

 

**SHIORI:** N-NO!! MS. HINO NEVER SAID HE WAS T-THE CULPRIT!! SH-SHE ONLY SAID HE WAS SUSPICIOUS!!

 

**AIKO:** [Shocked, defensive pose] Th-that’s  _ basically  _ the same as being the killer!

 

**REN:** [Sweating, worried] O-oh, shit, what uu-

 

**KIYOSHI:** Finish that sentence and you’ll be the next victim.

 

**REN:** … Oh shit, what up… m-murder.

 

**KIYOSHI:** Sleep with two eyes open.

 

**OTA:** U-uh-?!

 

**ROUKI:** Well, Ota, are you the murderer?

[Fiddling with hair, looking sideways]] Remember: if you tell the truth, then this will all be over much faster.

 

**OTA:** …

[Crossing arms] … 

F-fine… I killed her.

 

_ … Huh? _

_ … As much of an angry asshole Ota can be sometimes… I didn’t believe he could kill someone… even with all the evidence pointing towards him…  _

_ Why don’t I feel satisfied?! This is the fairy tale happy ending that we’ve needed: the killer reveals themself and everyone else goes free, right? _

 

**KATSUO:** [Confused, shocked] … Wait, what?

 

**DAICHI:** [So shocked armor is nearly falling off] What?! This is inconceivable, and so quickly too!!

 

**REN:** U-uh… Ota? You okay?

 

**OTA:** I-I killed her. I-I’m the killer.

 

**KIYOSHI:** [Hand on chin]  … Hm.

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Neutral expression] Wooow. I neeever expected Tubby to kill someone. You can just look at my face, I’m so surprised. Aaa.

Welp, that’s it, right? We can just, like, vote now, I guess. Choo choo! Execution train gonna kill the fatty!

 

**OTA:** [Holding arms] F-fuck off… 

 

**DAICHI:** I-I am… very confused.

 

**KIYOSHI:** Yes, I am too. Ota, would you mind explaining how you did the murder? There are still a lot of unanswered questions.

 

**OTA:** U-uh… sure. Y-yeah.

 

_ … Ota is loud, angry, and barbaric, but I can definitely tell that he has a kind heart… but he’s confessing to the murder of our friend… someone he saved no less than a day ago at that… _

_ Is he really the culprit behind this incident? _

 

**[NONSTOP DEBATE!]**

 

**OTA:** … S-so after Yui tried to do what she did…

I-I saw an openin’ to get out… see my dad n stuff…

 

**CHISHIKO:** [Covering mouth with laughter] No one gives a shit about your fucking family matters you dumb fat piggish slut! Just get to the juicy bits already! 

TELL US HOW  **YOU PUT BLONDIE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK!**

 

**OTA:** [Holding back tears] S-so… I grabbed the dumbbell from m’ room… it was uh… easy to carry since I’m a strong boy…

 

**ROUKI:** [Rolling eyes] Get on with it.

 

**OTA:** … A-an’ I saw her in the hardware store, an’ I’m real ugly, so she prolly got scared by me or somethin’...

Which let me hit her in the f-face…  **plain ‘n simple.**

S-so after that…

I wiped her up usin’ the towel an’ pretended like nothin’ happened… 

 

**DAICHI:** [Hands clasped] I-is that the whole story?!

 

**OTA:** Yeah, that’s the  **whole story.**

 

**CHISHIKO:** UGHHGHH FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK LETS JUST VOTE!!

 

_ … No, something is definitely wrong. I have the evidence to prove it. _

 

[ **OTA:** Yeah, that’s the  **whole story.** ]

 

SOLUTION: The wire

 

[No, that's wrong!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

\-----------

 

**NATSUKA:** The wire.

 

**OTA:** …

Huh?

 

**NATSUKA:** The wire played a very obvious part in this case, why didn’t you even mention it once during your entire recounting?

 

**OTA:** [Scrathing cheek] Uhh… I guess I just… forgot about it.

 

**NATSUKA:** How even? It was hidden with the murder weapon and the towel, so you’re either lying or you’re a forgetful idiot.

 

**OTA:** U-uh… I  _ am  _ a forgetful idiot!

 

**KATSUO:** [Aha moment] Now that you mention it…

The blood on Atsukenna’s body didn’t look wiped at all!

 

**OTA:** [Arms flailing] Word choice! I-It’s word choice!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Cocky smirk] Ignoring the peanut gallery, I’d like to thank you for that, Natsuka. I think your judgement has There was something peculiar that is extremely important, but we seem to have overlooked it… 

 

_ … What have we overlooked? _

 

**→ The body discovery announcement.**

→ The amount of dumbbells in the gym.   
→ The cut in the wire.

 

**NATSUKA:** [Sweating, worried expression] You’re… talking about the body discovery announcement?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Hands in pockets, looking down upon you] Obviously, but _why_ do I mention that? What does that make Ota?

 

_ I… think I know what he means. _

 

**[HANGMAN’S GAMBIT!]**

 

\----------

 

A----p----

 

Ac---p----

 

Acc--p----

 

Acc--p--c-

 

Acc--p-ic-

 

Acco-p-ic-

 

Accomp-ic-

 

Accomplic-

 

**ACCOMPLICE**

 

[I’ve got it!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

\-----------

 

**NATSUKA:** So… this whole time, Ota was only an accomplice?   
  


**KIYOSHI:** Of course, since the body discovery announcement sounds when three or more people discover a body…

 

And only Shiori and Miyako were present when the body discovery was announced…

 

Simply put, it means that someone besides the killer found the body before Shiori and Miyako.

 

**OTA:** N-no, that’s totally wrong I-   
  


**MIYAKO:** There’s also the issue of the weight. If we assume the killer used the wire in order to hold themselves up, which is what I presume happened, then the wire shouldn’t have been able to hold Ota.

 

**REN:** [Faking enthusiasm, obviously distressed] … I’ve updated my list of people and things I trust to: No one and nothing, babes!

 

**TSUBASA:** … If we ignore the idiot, the report cards on our E-Handbooks show our exact height, weight, likes, dislikes, whatever. Our weights have probably been updated if we lost or gained any in the school year, so… 

 

_ Tsubasa turned on his E-Handbook and swiped some. _

 

**TSUBASA:** Boom. Ota weighs, quote unquote, 427 pounds.

 

**DAICHI:** [Sweating] That is… a lot.

 

**OTA:** [Clenching fist] QUIT RUBBIN’ IT IN!!

 

**DAICHI:** *Gasp* You’re right! I deeply apologize for my blunt remarks about your weight, Sir Oguro! You are still handsome!

 

**OTA:** [Surprised] … Dude.

 

**ROUKI:** [Rolling eyes, arms crossed] Quit moving away from the fucking subject, Ota, it’s disappointing.

 

**OTA:** ... I-I’m… the... -

 

**AIKO:** [Twirling hair] Well, ignoring the loverboys… 

That was fuckin’ awesome Bassy!

 

**TSUBASA:** [Smirking] Hell yeah! Number one bad bitch in the house!

 

**OTA:** U-uh-! No, wait I’m the-

 

**CHISHIKO:** Great! Now that that’s over and done with, I can fiiiiiiiiiiinally do my stuff~!

 

_ Your… stuff? _

 

_ Chishiko brought out… her motive pad. _ __  
__  
**CHISHIKO:** [Hand on chest, proud] Now, I’ve discovered it~!

 

**KIYOSHI:** You mean… the secret?

 

**OTA:** Y-you guys don’t under-   
  


**MIYAKO:** [Curtsies] My my, it appears that the Devil has discovered the secret of the motive. Go on, show us.  _ If you please. _

 

**ROUKI:** Well that’s weird… How’d you discover it?

 

**CHISHIKO:** Who cares about that? The point is that I did!

Now, prepare your eyes and very souls for… Chishiko Kamii’s super special secret discovery~!!

 

_ And then she clicked the button, showing us the screen. _

 

_ An image of Chishiko in a white dress shirt appeared on the screen, accompanied by a voiceover by Monokuma himself. _

 

**MONOKUMA:** Chishiko Kamii, Ult̷͘͜i̶̷̕͝m͏̨̢a̧̧͢͝t̛͝͞͝e̢̢̢͞͝ ҉̵̵C̸̢̡͢a̶̕7͘͞ ͟͜7̸̷̵͡͞r̸̴͘͠4͏̶|̨̛̕|̛͢͠\̶͢|̕͜͠3̸̢̡r̛͡

 

**REN:** Woah, it’s… totally bugged out.

 

**CHISHIKO:** Ah-ah-ah! Wait for it… 

 

**MONOKUMA:** h̢̨̨͢͢3̢̕r̷̢͘͡ ̵̧f̶͟4̷̢͞M̷̨͝1̨L͏҉Y̨͞ ̴l̢͡1͝͡F̴̨͝3͢҉̢ ̴̸̶͠1̸͠2̨̡͜͢͞ ̡̢͟͠9̕͘3͞҉̧N̡̧͢3̷͞҉R̶͢͟͠4҉͏̕l̴̸̴͜L̷Y͏̴̧̨͡ ̶̨͢͠l̷̢̛̛͟1̶̵̧͢͠n̕k̢͘͏͜Ņ̛҉̵͜0̴̵̢͢͜W̵̢̨͠N̨̛ ̕͝҉҉̡7̛͏̡0̷̶ ͟͏͟4̸L̴̛L͘҉̸̨ ̷̛̛͟8̡̛̕͠u͘͟͢7̷͠͠ ̸̨͞h͘͠3̵͟R̨͜ ̧͠͠4͘N͢͟͏̷̸D̡̢ ̶͜͢H̶̨͝3̕͢͠͠-̕҉҉̛

 

Natsuka Hino, Ultimate Florist.

 

_ … What? That was… this is Chishiko’s motive pad, right? It showed an image of me in a navy blue uniform with white trim. _

 

**MONOKUMA:** Born to a wealthy family, her father died shortly after birth in a car accident, and her mother gradually turned more and more disagreeable.

Her main friends were a group of girls that sometimes gathered around the playground and were generally friendly to her. Her life was usually a tiny bit tough, according to her.

Now, we’ll play a little game of “Where are they now.”

_ An image popped up. It was of my mom, but she was on the floor. The house looked burned and tattered, destroyed and covered in cuts and blemishes, like a shadow of it’s former self. _

_ I didn’t know what to feel. I didn’t feel really sad, I just felt… weird. Like I should be feeling more. Like I shouldn’t be feeling this complacent, like I was a horrible person for not feeling anything more than what I felt- this overwhelming sense of averageness and decency. I should feel more than this. I’m even worse than I thought if I don’t feel more than this immediately. Please. _

 

**MONOKUMA:** Natsuka Hino’s home and mother are in shambles and dying. What could have happened to them? Did a meteor carrying thousands of knives show up and destroy the place? Did wild dogs or tigers come in and kill everything?

 

Only you can find out, by graduating!

…

Oh, and by the by, this is what happened to playground.

 

_ A picture of a rusty and bent playground flickered on the tablet's screen, the swing’s foundation was bludgeoned and battered, like a frog’s hind legs. The slide was so rusted that you would get cut and scarred if you even attempted to slide on it. Everything about it seemed warped, off, wrong, blatantly disgustingly wrong. _

__  
_ How much of our memories have been taken away? _ __  
_  
_ __ That was the last thought I had before the motive pad suddenly shut off, coating it’s screen in the mildly illuminated black that a computer has as it’s beginning to turn on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that was a fucken ride now wasn't it  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13731575 This is a nEW poll for the new chapter desu uwu nya, who killed AtsuBenna Bizuno  
> i wanna die ao3 wont let me use the B emoji this is slander  
> edit: i've more or less rewritten this chapter in order to get motivation for the investigation of chapter 3 aksjdlsad


	13. [5] Trial: The Sky Will Fall and Drop the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the class trial continues, and colors are shown, and colors are crushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALL. HEAVY CW FOR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE  
> ALSO IM SORRY IF I DID IT HORRIBLY  
> I TRIED MAKING IT AT LEAST SLIGHTLY OKAY????  
> YEAH  
> IM NOT REALLY GOOD AT THIS SORRY AIDNKSAD  
> \--  
> We added white noise this chapter! I got the idea for the format from a fangan that needs to be more popular called Dangaronpa:Alternate. I dunno if I should link it so I'll just trust you to look it up.
> 
> Update: updated this chapter!

_Even though there were only twelve other people in the room, I felt like the entire world was staring at me. I don’t know what I looked like, but if I had to assume, my face was probably some grotesque mixture of bewilderment and horror. None of us knew what that meant, that was Chishiko’s motive pad. Not mine._

 

_Their faces were filled with pity. Not hatred, or sadness, but pity. The absolute worst kind of emotion, because they don’t try to help you or see you on an equal footing, they look down on you and try to sympathize when they know nothing. None of them know anything about this. Nothing about what I’m feeling. I’m absolutely sure of it._

 

 **TSUBASA:** … What…

 

What did that mean? Why did Natsuka’s… thing, play?

 

 **ROUKI:** Well, obviously, that’s what we need to find out. It’s connected to the ‘secret of the motive’, I guess.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Well, yeah, duh! You dogs are so dumb, I just said that!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Well, we observed that the motive pad had some motivation to kill inside of it.

 

 **YUI:** But… that w-wasn’t Chishiko’s face, o-or her… story?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Well, looks like we’ll have to figure it out…

 

_Kiyoshi looked… smug._

 

 **REN:** Y-yeah, a-and that was definitely Chishiko’s motive pad, we even _heard_ her motive for a sec before it started glitching out!

 

But then Natsuka’s face showed up for some reason? If the secret’s connected to that somehow then… how?

TL;DR, IDK shit.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Words. Use them.

 

 **REN:** Go shit in your hand, you ignorant slut.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … Anyways.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Hey hey! How about we think about what it meeans?

 

_She’s… she’s right. We need to figure out what that strange thing means._

 

**Nonstop Debate-**

 

{My gums hurt.}

                           {Then take some meds!}

 **ROUKI:** It’s safe to assume that that **wasn’t Natsuka’s motive video.**

 

 **KATSUO:** That’s true… it should’ve been Chishiko’s,

 

{I don’t have any meds, we’re in a trial!}

    {Oh, duh forgot.}

In fact, it **was Chishiko’s for a few seconds!**

 

{I-I’m not so sure…}

 

 **YUI:** Nna… What if **Chishiko’s video had some bad stuff** that she didn’t want us to see?

 

 **ROUKI:** You’re useless. Chishiko can’t control the videos.

 

            {How?}

 **MIYAKO:** Perhaps it **depends on the person?**

                                         {Obviously not.}        

{God, what a dumb bitch~!}        

It could be possible that **the Rose played the video** first, and now it will only play Natsuka’s video?

 

                   {Why do you insist on calling her that?!}

 **CHISHIKO:** Hah, as if! You’re such a dumb piece of dogshit, I can’t believe I’m surprised~

  
Natsuka gave her motive video to me **directly** **after** it was announced! She had mine, y’know.

 

                          {Why’d she do that?}

 

_… Maybe I should agree with someone’s testimony, that might lead us to the truth after all._

 

[ **MIYAKO:** Perhaps it **depends on the person?** ]

 

[I agree with that!]

 

\----------

 

 **NATSUKA:** Miyako, I agree with your statement.

 

 **MIYAKO:** Oh, so you _did_ play the video first? Then that means that the Devil is lying…

Then she’s the killer. Monokuma? May we burn the witch right here and now? Make sure to put straw beneath her, many forget that part.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Hey! You’re the only witch here, I’m only me, Chishiko Kamii! Mother of the Felines! Isn’t it a sin to call a mother a witch?!

 

 **MIYAKO:** … No, it’s not.  
  
**CHISHIKO:** It is in my bible!

 

 **NATSUKA:** … No, I’m talking about her other statement. I believe that the video could be dependent on who the person activating it is.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** That could be a _hypothetical_ reason, but how would that even function technology wise? Would it detect their fingerprints or something? If so, how would Monokuma have even logged our fingerprints into the system?

 

_He does make a good argument, but I’m not sure that that would be impossible, and I know why._

 

→ The pools

→ The Elefountain

**→ The execution**

 

 **NATSUKA:** If… if Monokuma could create… that execution… who’s to say he couldn’t make the motive based off of fingerprints?

 

_I started seeing it all again, the spear impaled through her stomach, the sharp glass that aligned the rim of the stage, all of it started flashing through my head without mercy. I tried not to think about them. They kept rushing and rushing and rushing through my head, every time it seemed like they had stopped they had already started again. I tried listening to the others as the words that had crawled out of my throat before tried to come back. I strained them, forcing it to shatter and break._

_I wouldn’t let it out._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** I can definitely see your point… it’s our only lead as of now, so whatever.

 

 **OTA:** …

 

 **YUI:** So… I think we can prolly say that the killer is whoever had Ota’s motive pad.

 

 **AIKO:** That’s kind of a big leap in logic, could you like, explain?

 

 **YUI:** It’s really not that hard… if you think about in a different way, then you’ll get it.

If Chishiko pressed her own tablet button an’ Natsuka’s came out, then maybe someone got Ota’s an’ they swapped, then one of ‘em got a motive they didn’t like, prolly Atsukenna’s, and then they… yeah.  
  
**KATSUO:** It’s… creative, but I don’t think that it’s that… plausible?

 

 **DAICHI:** Hmm… I do like that theory, actually!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** That makes no sense. If you keep leaping to conclusions like this, you’ll get us all killed.

 

 **REN:** I’ll… Keep it in mind, but even if it is true, like, literally no one brought their motive pad.

 

 **YUI:** … O-oh. Oh.

 

 **OTA:** [Crying, holding shoulders] … I-it’s… it’s right.

 

_Huh?_

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … Hang on, what was that?

 

 **OTA:** …

 

 **SHIORI:** U-uh… d-due the motion of his lips, I-I think he said…

“It’s right.”

 

_He confessed so suddenly… why?_

 

 **REN:** … W-well, e-even if it’s right, we still dunno who got Ota’s motive pad!

 

 **YUI:** B-but it still helped, right? Did it help?

 

 **KATSUO:** Yeah, definitely!

 

 **AIKO:** Okay, so? Yui was right but that’s just preparing us for what’s gonna come! How the hell are we gonna actually _get_ to what’s gonna come?

 

 **TSUBASA:** Yeah, basically all we know is that Ota and Yui can’t be the killer, and it probably isn’t Chishiko! We don’t have _any_ other **testimonies!**

 

 **NATSUKA:** [EXTREME AHA MOMENT!] …!!

 

_What Tsubasa just said just now… it made me think of something. It was like a flash of reasoning behind my back… why did I feel that…?_

 

_…_

 

_Wait. I know… those people’s testimonies… they contradict each other!_

 

**[SELECT SOMEONE]**

 

\-----------

 

[1] Natsuka Hino

[2] Tsubasa Komatsu

[3] Aiko Hibarayashi

[4] Miyako Hirai

[5] Ota Oguro

[6] Daichi Fujikawa

[7] Atsukenna Mizuno **X**

[8] Chishiko Kamii

[9] Emizu Hoshino **X**

[10] Yui Kajiwara

[11] Rouki Hasagawa

[12] Katsuo Sugai

[13] Shiori Maeda

[14] Ren Takemoto

[15] Kiyoshi Arita

[16] Kuukiko Kawakami **X**

 

**SELECT: [2] Tsubasa Komatsu//[11] Rouki Hasagawa**

 

[You two!]

 

 **NATSUKA:** Rouki, Tsubasa, your testimonies don’t add up.

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Cocking eyebrow] What!?

 

 **ROUKI:** [Hands in pockets] Huh. Weird.

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Furrowing brows] W-what do you mean by my “testimony?” I-I’m confused.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Well… let me explain my reasoning.

Rouki says he was at killer cuts from 7 PM until Night Time, but since I learned about Ota and Aiko’s deal, which happened at 8 PM…  
And Tsubasa’s testimony, saying that he didn’t see anyone on the way there… One of you must be lying!

 

 **ROUKI:** Smart, smart. So now you just need to figure out which one of us is lying.

Do you know how you’re gonna do that?

 

_I’m not entirely sure… but I have an idea._

 

 **NATSUKA:** I believe… Tsubasa, did you grab the gloves while you went down there at 8 PM?

 

 **TSUBASA:** Yeah, duh! That’s the whole reason I went there!

 

 **NATSUKA:** Aiko, Ota, can you confirm that?

 

_Ota nodded._

 

 **AIKO:** Yeaaah, what’s up with that?

 

 **NATSUKA:** I think I’ve narrowed it down…

Rouki, you’re lying. You might not be the killer, but you’re definitely suspicious!

 

 **ROUKI:** [Eyes closed] …

 

[Closed eyes, crossing arms] …

Ota-- refute it… _now._

 

_In that moment, I felt a chill. Not a normal chill, a freezing chill, the kind you get when your paranoia is rampant in the middle of the night, and you’re too scared to turn your fan off. So you just hide in your blanket, praying for light. I didn’t know why, it just happened… until I realised it._

 

_Rouki was looking at my eyes._

 

_Rouki looked me directly in the eyes for the first time. This was the first time I’d ever seen him make eye contact with anyone. It was absolutely bone chilling. What I felt- what they forced into me- was like a combination of rage and apathy. Sorrow and ignorance. A sea of opposites washed over me like the blue in his irises and attempted to drown me._

 

 **OTA:** O-oh, y-yeah, sure. Yeah.

 

 **AIKO:** W-wha… what?

 

_I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to prove that Rouki’s suspicious, even if he might not be the killer._

 

**[NONSTOP DEBATE!]**

 

{What’s going on?!}

 **OTA:** Rouki can’t be the killer…

                   {Legitimately impossible.}

{Does the Ogre wish death upon us all?}

Cuz I-I am! **I killed her!**

 

 **MIYAKO:** Ogre, we just discussed why that was impossible.

 

{This is sooooo weird~!}

And why are you defending the Radiant? He _is_ the **prime suspect** after all.

 

 **OTA:** C-cuz… cuz…

{… H-... Wh-…?}

 **ROUKI:** [Hands in pockets] Were you saying something?

 

 **OTA:** …

 

{A-Aiko? Are you okay?}

 **ROUKI:** Anyways, your reasoning makes no sense…

 

{Y-yeah! Like he said!}

How was I expected to stay there the entire time? I **just happened to wander out around 8 PM.** Nothing more.

{Pfft! What a convenient story!}

 

_I think that I can disprove what that person said…_

 

[ **ROUKI:** How was I expected to stay there the entire time? I **just happened to wander out around 8 PM.** Nothing more.]

 

SOLUTION: Rouki’s Account

 

[No, that’s wrong!]

 

 **NATSUKA:** Your alibi specifically states that you stayed in Killer Cuts from 7 PM until night time, 10 PM. Why would you forget if you left something out?

 

 **ROUKI:** …

[Leaning forward] Ota. **Say something.** You’ve been useless enough today, so help me for fucking _once._

 

 **AIKO:** Gh-!?

 

_It was only then that I looked at Aiko, finally. I saw it. She looked like she was going to vomit, her breathing was in slow and shaky, like someone was holding her lungs so she could only breath the slightest of breaths, occasionally struggling to swallow her own saliva. Tears ran down her face and passed her running nose, but her mouth didn’t emote. It looked smaller than usual. More subdued… but the worst part was her eyes. They were focused and staring, staring and Rouki, almost devoid of any life they had before, but they were full of something else…_

_  
_ _Recognition._

 

 _Somehow, despite being lifeless and staring, they had captured that feeling. That pure, unadulterated recognition. Even if I had no clue what was going on, I could tell:_ **_she knew. She knew what was happening, and it wasn’t good._ ** _I could only guess what it was. But I knew, at the forefront of my mind…_

_It was far worse than it looked._

 

 **TSUBASA:** A-aiko!? What’s going on?

 

_She didn’t answer. Daichi was looking far less animated than usual as well, but I couldn’t tell anything through his suit of armor._

 

_Ota’s face screamed every emotion he must have been feeling at that moment. Regret. Sorrow. Disappointment. All of it was told through the story in his sweat-covered palms and the unseen words in his eyes._

 

 **ROUKI:** Go on, Ota, you can’t have me waiting all day, can you? *Chuckle*

 

 **OTA:** Y-yeah… I know… I know.

 

 **AIKO:** [Sobbing, holding head] Stop… stop… f-for the love of **god** stop…

 

 **OTA:** Rouki’s n-not the killer, c-cuz… cuz what if he needed to take a bathroom break? T-that’d be why he wasn’t there for a li’l.

 

 **ROUKI:** …

You do know that I entrusted this to you, correct?

 

 **OTA:** Y-yeah. Sorry.

 

 **ROUKI:** Since you apparently can’t be bothered, I’ll just do it myself, as always.

There’s still a piece of evidence that I believe might point the killer title away from me.

 

 **REN:** And… that is?

 

 **ROUKI:** The towel, obviously. What was it used for?

 

_… He’s the most likely culprit, but he’s definitely bringing up a good point. What was the towel used for? We still don’t know._

 

**[NONSTOP DEBATE!]**

 

{Stop…}

 **ROUKI:** What was the towel used for?

     {What’s up with him?}

 

             {Nna, what else would ya use it like?}

 **REN:** It was probably **just used like a normal towel.**

 

 **ROUKI:** Mm… that sounds **correct.**

 

 **YUI:** [Hiding in feather boa] That’s kinda an easy question…

{WOAH!! A TOWELBAG!?}

 **KATSUO:** I don’t think it was used normally…

Maybe the towel was used **to carry the murder weapon?**

{I thought those went extinct~!}

  {Stop t-talking like you don’t know…}

 **ROUKI:** That’s also a **valid theory** as well!

            {Aiko, please, what’s going on!?}

 

_…_

 

_I don’t want it to be true._

 

_I don’t want him to have made Ota and Aiko suffer so deeply, or for him to have at least played a part in Atsukenna’s murder._

 

_… but it is true. It’s the honest truth…_

 

_I have the evidence to prove this contradiction._

 

[ **REN:** It was probably **just used like a normal towel.** ]

 

SOLUTION: State of the Body

 

[No, that’s wrong!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

\----------

 

 **NATSUKA:** Ren, that can’t be true.

 

 **REN:** [Hands on hips] … Wait, really? Why?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Really? Ugh… try imagining the scene one more time.

Atsukenna’s body was under a pool of blood. Why would that pool have been there if the towel was used on it?

 

 **REN:** [Shrugging] They might’ve used it on the murder weapon, bro. Bam, y’know?

 

 **NATSUKA:** No, Ren, the dumbbell had blood on it.

 

 **SHIORI:** M-Ms. Hino, it’s possible that they- they b-being the killer, of course- used that towel on themselves!

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

 

_She’s right… Rouki won’t admit to anything if we don’t disprove him, so… what can we do?_

 

 **ROUKI:** [Distainful] Ha. You’re pathetic, seriously. You can’t even tell me what a fucking towel is used for? How many brain cells do you even have?!

 

 **YUI:** …

[Tugging on hat] Uh… I think I got it.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Hands behind back] If you’ve “Got it,” then tell us already.

 

 **YUI:** … W-well, uh…

M-maybe he used it like a blanket…?  

 **OTA:** [Surprised expression] …!?

 

 **NATSUKA:** He… what?

 

 **YUI:** Nna… think about it.

If Rouki was on top of the girder thing with the wire tied round his waist, an’ then he put the towel like a cover between him an’ Atsukenna.

It’d make it so he didn’t get any blood on him, an’ it’d be pretty easy to pull off…

Ya just gotta think differently about stuff, y’know?

 

**YOUR ARGUMENTS AREN’T SEWN TIGHT ENOUGH!**

 

 **ROUKI:** God, you’re fucking useless. The killer obviously couldn’t have done that!

 

 **NATSUKA:** … And why do you say that?

 

 **ROUKI:** Are you fucking serious?! Why are you questioning me- Actually, you know what?

[Blank stare, furrowed brows] Just shut your mouth and listen for once in your pathetic waste of an existence.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Ghk-?!

 

_This is the most emotion I’ve ever seen Rouki express… what the hell is happening to him?_

 

**[REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN!]**

 

**ROUKI:**

 

**It’s impossible that the killer could have killed Atsukenna…**

 

        **With the dumbbell.**

 

**They would have to have simply…**

 

**Dropped from the girder!**

 

[ADVANCE!]

 

 **NATSUKA:** Rouki, the most likely thing is that that’s exactly what happened.

We spent a while discussing that, and it’s suspicious that you just forgot about it…

 

**ROUKI:**

 

**Well, that time you spent discussing it is wrong.**

 

**Even if you dropped from the girder…**

**You probably** **_wouldn’t get enough speed_ ** **to murder someone.**

**Very simply, it just isn’t placed high enough…**

**A shame, really, looks like I can’t be the killer! Hah!** **  
**

[I’ll snip your claims in two!]

 

**BREAK!**

 

\-----------

 

 **NATSUKA:** No, if you jumped from a girder of that height, you would definitely get enough power if you swung the dumbbell. That much should be obvious.

 

 **ROUKI:** [Seething] … _Ota?_

 

 **OTA:** [Crying a little] …

 

 **ROUKI:** … Are you even going to try…? You’re just abandoning me.

Nev

 

 **NATSUKA:** Y-you’re _still_ trying to persuade me!?

 

 **ROUKI:** … Yeah.

 

 **SHIORI:** Mr. H-Hasagawa…? Why are y-you doing thi-

 

 **ROUKI:** [Losing it] YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH!

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT SHE’S DONE! SHE BETRAYED US, SHE BETRAYED ALL OF YOU!

I-I DID YOU ALL A FUCKING FAVOR! YOU JUST DON’T GET IT YET!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Pinching nose bridge] Jesus Christ, you’re obnoxious.

 

 **ROUKI:** Obnoxious?! Do you know who I am?! I’m the leader of Obelisk Fashion Industries design branch, I’ve given breath into the clothes you’re probably wearing on your fucking back!

[Pointing dramatically] Aiko! You’re wearing my summer style hoodie dress! I came up with that concept, and yet you’re whining like a little bitch when I start showing some goddamn emotion!

Tsubasa, you’re wearing an Obelisk brand Choker! You’ve benefited from my existence! I made a mark in your life!

SO STOP CRYING ABOUT MY JUSTIFIED PERSONALITY AND ACCEPT THAT I’VE SUFFERED FOR MY ART! I’VE **SUFFERED** FOR MY CREATIVITY! I’VE SUFFERED THROUGH SO MUCH!

None of you… _NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH!!_

So… _you._

**I’LL PROVE YOU WRONG HERE AND NOW!**

 

_He glared at me with the ferocity of a lion. His quiet, whispy voice had morphed and gargled into a horrid shout that pierced through my ears with pure, unadulterated anger…_

_Rouki… are these your true colors? You were… bad… but you were really…?_

_No, that doesn’t matter now, right now, all that matters…_

 

_Is saving the lives of everyone else._

 

**[PANIC TALK ACTION:**

**START!]**

 

**ROUKI:**

 

**YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!**

 

 **I’VE SUFFERED SO MUCH FOR THIS!** **  
** **  
** **SHE BETRAYED YOU ALL!**

 **  
** **I DID YOU ALL A FUCKING FAVOR!**

 

**Don’t you dare… Don’t you dare!!**

 

**I’VE MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIVES!**

 

**You’re so pathetic…**

 

**You’re hopeless!**

 

**I’LL PROVE YOU WRONG HERE AND NOW!**

 

 **ROUKI:** How did Atsukenna NOT see the culprit if the lights were on?

 

**MONO**

 

 **KUMA’S** **  
** **  
** **BUDGET**

 **  
** **CUTS**

 

[This is your finale!]

 

-

 

-

 

**BREAK!**

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Pointing decidedly] By taking advantage of the lack of light in the Hardware Store, you, the killer, hid above Atsukenna and murdered her with the dumbbell!

 

 **ROUKI:** …

[Seething] … Khhhh…

Damn it… God damn it!

You’re all so unappreciative… so fucking uncool… WHY DON’T YOU GET WHAT I DID FOR YOU!?

 

 **YUI:** … W-why?! Wh-why’d you k-kill her?! She was… she was already in a bad place… so- why?!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Checking nails] Yeah, I’ve gotta admit, that’s pretty fucked up.

 

 **ROUKI:** Ghuh… She betrayed you all… that’s the truth. She was a terrible, terrible person… she deserved it.

 

_The… truth?_

 

 **NATSUKA:** Explain.

 

 **ROUKI:** I will. Vote first.

 

 **OTA:** [Crying, but strong] …

H-hey, Natsuka.

 

 **NATSUKA:** W-... what is it?

 

 **OTA:** Could you tell everyone…? Recap every fuckin’ thing this little bitch has done to us… not for us.

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

[Nods] Okay.

 

_I took a deep breath…_

_And started the final stitch in Rouki’s fate._

 

**[CLOSING ARGUMENT: START!]**

 

**NATSUKA:**

This case in particular is special-- because it has an accomplice. Somehow, the killer manipulated **Ota Oguro** into helping them kill Atsukenna. Probably by tricking him into thinking that they were his friend, maybe something more.

 

With Ota’s newfound trust, the killer could easily grab a dumbbell from Ota’s room while Ota made a deal with Aiko and Tsubasa to watch Yui, they walked towards the Hardware Store, where they waited in silence. Little did they know, that deal was actually the reason that they would later be found out.

 

Using more of Ota’s undeserved trust in them, the killer convinced him to throw them to the top of the girder. This would’ve been useless, but they had a plan- they tied a wire around their waist, and Ota would help them back up after they jumped down with it.

 

For an unknown reason, Atsukenna arrived at the Hardware store within a little while. Using Monokuma’s Budget Cuts which resulted in the Hardware Store not having any lights, the killer jumped on Atsukenna, putting the towel below them…

 

And bashed Atsukenna’s skull in, ending her life.

 

After this it can be assumed that they both went away. It was about to be night time, so the lights would turn off.

 

And that’s how you did it… is that right…

 

 

Rouki Hasagawa, Ultimate Fashion Designer?

 

 

**BREAK!**

 

\-----------

 

 **ROUKI:** [Livid, fists clenched] … Khhh…

I hate you… s-so much.

 

 **OTA:** … M-Monokuma, I think we’re ready to vote.

 

 **ROUKI:** … Ugh.

 

_The voting buttons appeared on our screen, this time with pixelated portraits of Emizu and Atsukenna grayed out. I pushed the button that depicted a boy wearing a purple suit with fluffy blue hair tied into a strange ponytail._

 

_On the screens above us, there was a picture of a gambling machine that had art of all of our faces in pixel form. It landed on Rouki and started spitting out coins._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Yay! You got it right! That’s totally it!

 

The evil blackened who murdered the Ultimate Gardener, Atsukenna Mizuno, is…

 

Rouki Hasagawa! The Ultimate Fashion Designer. Yaaay, you did it. Woo. Yeah.

 

 **REN:** [Crying] But… why? Why did you do this?!

You killed Atsukenna… betrayed Ota… used Aiko and Tsubasa… for what fucking reason?!

What have you done for us!? Y-you keep saying that you’ve done something for us, but you _haven’t!_

DO YOU HAVE ANY LOVE IN YOUR HEART?!

 

 **ROUKI:** …

Love?  
Don’t get me fucking started on that Goddamn _love_ bullshit! Let me get this thing straight first-

LOVE

IS

NOT

REAL.

It’s a dumbass fucking fictional concept that those awful adults took out of their asses to lock us into submission the second we agree! No form of love is real, platonic, romantic, _familial,_ it’s all just useless empty, hollow, disgusting concepts that are used over and over and over again to excuse the worst, most disgusting acts I’ve ever goddamn witnessed!

So don’t you even _DARE_ imply that I did what I did because of a fucking “lack of love”!

 

 **REN:** A-!?

 

_I was so shocked that I had to survey the room. Daichi looked like a statue. He didn’t move. Even if he wanted to, I’m not sure he could. Aiko’s state had only worsened when Rouki started his rant. Ota had started crying. He tried his best to hide it, but I could hear whimpering from him. His eyes were red_

 

 **ROUKI:** No, the real reason I did all of this? Because of the motive videos. I switched my motive pad with Ota, he had mine, and I saw some _SHIT._

 

 **MIYAKO:** So, you got an entirely different person’s motive video.  
  
**ROUKI:** Of fucking course! I wouldn’t have killed if I had gotten my own!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Arms in the air] Well, I don’t think showing the video would do any real harm, ‘specially since the one it’s about is already dead!

_Already dead?_

 

_On one of the monitors above us, the face of Atsukenna Mizuno wearing a formal white dress appeared, with Monokuma’s voiceover to accompany her._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Atsukenna Mizuno, the Ultimate Gardener. She lives with her family as an only child, and was taken into the family business- gardening. Feeling as if her life was going on a simple railroad, she decided to rebel against society by swearing and dyeing her hair. All in all, she still has one of the most diverse gardens in Japan.

 

_The image flickered to Atsukenna in the clothes we knew her in, sitting in a dark room illuminated by a spotlight on her, there was only one chair._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** However, in this killing game, Atsukenna had something much different going on with her.

In exchange for something, Atsukenna decided to help Monokuma with his plans by reporting to him every day at 11 PM, just to make sure that _that specific something_ wasn’t altered…

She became a Traitor.

 

_And then the monitor turned off._

 

_… What?_

 

 **SHIORI:** W-w-w-w-what!? A-Atsukenna was… the traitor?!

 

 **KATSUO:** N-no way… That can’t be-

 

 **ROUKI:** You see why I had to kill her? You appreciate it now, right?! I basically saved all of your fucking lives!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Weeell, you’re still a murderer, sooo~

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Yeah, Chishiko has it right! Plus he didn’t even get them all!

 

_What?_

 

 **ROUKI:** … I didn’t _what?_

 

 **MONOKUMA:** You didn’t get ‘em all. There’s still another traitor and the mastermind hiding among yooooOOOPSIES! I’ve said too much!!

 

 **ROUKI:** …

 

 **KIYOSHI:** So, not only is there _another_ traitor, but the mastermind of the entire game is here as well?

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Of course! It’d be boring if the mastermind was just some boring secret organization or a demon or something, so they’ve decided to hide among you all!

 

_I… can’t believe it. I won’t believe it… even after Atsukenna was a traitor, we have two more!? No, that’s impossible, this is a lie._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** By the way Natsuka, I can hear you thinking that. You’re wrong.

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

_I didn’t know why I was surprised._

 

 **REN:** … Hey, Rouki, something’s been confusing me about this case.

 

 **ROUKI:** What is it?

 

 **REN:** Well… you used Ota to get an accomplice for the murder, right?

 

 **ROUKI:** *Sigh*, Correct.

 

 **REN:** Why didn’t you just have him do the murder? He’d technically be the culprit, and you could get away scott free, but you delivered the finishing blow and engineered a plan around that!

 

 **ROUKI:** …

…

I’d like to think I’m not as bad as I probably am… that just seems cruel.

 

 **OTA:** …

 

 **REN:** …

 

 **AIKO:** S-stop… stop sympathizing with him! H-he doesn’t deserve it! H-he doesn-... he doesn’t… He’s horrible and… he doe-...

 

_And Aiko continued to cry._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Weeeeellp, that’s enough o’ that, cuz It’s time for… you guessed it, punishment!

 

 **ROUKI:** … Ota. 3 Rules from now on.

 

 **OTA:** W-what!? I-I’m not followin’-

 

 **ROUKI:** Rule Number 1: Stop wearing the same jumpsuit every day. It doesn’t even fit that well, and brings a lot of attention to your midsection.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Now, I’ve prepared a veeeerry special punishment for Rouki Hasagawa, the Ultimate Fashion Designer!

 

 **OTA:** [Fist in hand] HEY, YOU FUCKIN’ HEARD ME! I AIN’T LISTENIN’ TO YOUR BULLSHIT ANYMORE!

 

 **ROUKI:** Rule Number 2: Wash your clothes, you bring a smell of must and overcompensation wherever you go, everyone can smell it, but they’re not rude enough to tell you.

 

 **OTA:** GODDAMNIT- **STOP!**

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Now, let’s give it everything we got…

 

 **ROUKI:** Rule Number 3- this is the most important one: **Never forgive me.** Remember every day that I died a liar, a coward, and a fucking **failure.** Go and live your life, and kick my memory into the fucking dirt. Please.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** IIIIIITT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIIIME!!

 

 **OTA:** Heh…

[Angry smile] You best fuckin’ believe I will, you waste of goddamn air.

 

_And Rouki’s neck was suddenly covered by a chain, which pulled him away from us._

 

_The monitors showed Rouki at the top of a very tall fountain in a greek toga and a flower crown before cutting to a title card that read_

 

“The Punishment of the Radiant Rouki Hasagawa! Of Flowers and Fountains, My Dearest!”

 

_He just sat there. Nothing much. The fountain was insanely tall and decorative, it looked like something that angels would throw coins into. For a moment, I thought this might be peaceful._

 

_A monokuma with a toga and angel wings clipped something onto Rouki’s leg. I only noticed what it was when Rouki started to fall and grip onto the fountain with all of his strength._

 

_It was a dumbbell. A dumbbell made of gold._

 

_It dragged him down, scraping his hands and causing blood to pour from his fingertips as he desperately tried to climb up the fountain, slowly, and slowly getting farther down. After a certain point he tired. Rouki found it harder and more painful to try, he got slower, more lethargic. His fingers bloodied and his leg probably dislocated, he tried less and less, until finally, the audience got to see what the fountain was filled with._

_  
_ _Acid. The golden dumbbell was going to drag Rouki to a slow, painful death filled with acid._

 

_And that it did, as his screams stuck in our heads, raising a final, scraped, bloodied, and messy hand as it melted into the fountain._

 

**ROUKI HASAGAWA**

**ULTIMATE FASHION DESIGNER**

**STATUS: EXECUTED**

**__**

 

_After the rain of screams, the revelation that there are two more traitors among us, and Rouki’s gruesome execution and true colors, we all went back to our rooms, some faster than others. Much, faster. Ota ran back to his room, so did Aiko._

_As I layed on my bed, all I could think about was one thing. One singular phrase that controlled my entire psyche for the moment._

 

_Is there anything in this mall that I can trust?_

_And does that include myself?_

 

**CHAPTER 2**

**THE SKY WILL FALL AND DROP THE STARS**

**END**

**_______**

 

****

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. imo this was my favorite chapter because i actually think i might enjoy it if i read it as. not me  
> anyways-  
> https://imgur.com/a/Ym7nS  
> My friend Taka made a bunch of Moodboards for all the CK characters! Even the ones that no one likes *COUGH*KUUKIKO*COUGH*, go PRAISE HIM!!!!  
> say, what's up with aiko? well, you'll have to wait for the next chapter uwu  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13860923 FOR THE NEXT FTE!!  
> \--  
> [Confirmed Orientations]  
> Rouki- Gay, I'm currently in a debate over whether to make him trauma-based Aro or not but Y'all Don't Want Him  
> Ota- Also gay.


	14. [1] Daily Life: Stand in the Dark and Open Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natsuka is very busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha. ha. heavy TW for romantic abuse again im so sorry for creating rouki  
> also tw for self-loathing thoughts!!  
> also possible tw for manipulation.  
> \--  
> yall are gonna learn a lot about some character's sexualities this chapter so strap urselves in  
> also: i think im done experimenting with style now! i've finally found a combination of game mechanics, ao3 formatting, and general stuff that works well together! YAY!

**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**START**

**__**

 

_The next morning was one filled with fatigue. I didn’t want to get up, I didn’t want to move. The only thing I wanted to do was exist, and even that longing for simple content in a bed was muted by the fatigue I felt. But I had to move on, I couldn’t rest. Rest does nothing. Rest just makes the pain of having to do something again more intense._

 

 _Same old rain boots, same old overalls, same old me._  


_Breakfast was silent that day. Ota was there, but it looked like he was forcing himself to be there. You could he was distressed because he was eating a normal human amount of food._

 

_…_

 

_God, you’re such a piece of shit, Natsuka. Just sew your mouth shut already._

 

_Aiko didn’t show up. I was still confused as to what even happened to her. Whatever it was, it was intense. I hope she’s alright, really._

 

_And then breakfast ended, and that was that._

 

_Shiori was going around tending to everyone’s needs and wants, like giving Ota some water after a… whatever they call weightlifting segments, and getting Katsuo some ingredients… sometimes like I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t fully embody my talent, but then I remember that Aiko exists._

 

[Spend time with Shiori?]

 

→ **Yes**

→ No

 

 **Natsuka:** Shiori.

 

 **Shiori:** [Curious, head tilted] Um… w-what is it?

 

 **Natsuka:** Would you… like to hang out, or whatever they call it?

 

 **Shiori:** [Overwhelmed, binder held to chest] W-w-w-what!? W-why would you wanna spend t-time with someone like me?!

 

_Why are you like this._

 

 **Natsuka:** You seem nice. I guess.

 

 **Shiori:** [Cautious, fingers pressed together] Well… I-I suppose I could take a break for a little bit. I-I’ll gladly spend some time with you, Ms. Hino!

 

_Shiori and I explored the Bullseye together and looked for whatever we could find that wasn’t somehow murderous or what have you. We found a hat that we were sure couldn’t be used to murder someone and wore it._

 

 **Shiori:** [Pleasant, hands next to each other] Th-that was fun! I-I should probably get back to work, though.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Why are you so… strange, with helping people?

 

 **Shiori:** U-um… what do you mean, Ms. Hino?

 

 **Natsuka:** You rarely do anything else, you’re always assisting someone somehow. Why?

 

 **Shiori:** Hmm… I-I’d say that it’s… a need.

 

 **Natsuka:** What? Elaborate.

 

 **Shiori:** [Thinking pose, binder held in right hand] W-well… I’m… ah, h-how do I put this?

 

I-I’m a little bit of an addict…

 

 **Natsuka:** A… what?

 

 **Shiori:** [Blushing, hugging binder over face] D-don’t take it like that!!

 

[Shocked, apologetic] I-I mean- I-I’M SORRY FOR POLICING YOUR SPEECH!!!

 

_She… she’s a hot mess._

 

 **Shiori:** I-it’s just that… I can’t live without that feeling.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

_I couldn’t make any real words at that, so I just moved my hands in the “Go On” motion._

 

 **Shiori:** [Shy, looking away] There’s… a feeling I-I get when I help someone…

 

L-like I matter more than I mattered before… L-like I’m more of a genuine person than I was a few seconds ago…

 

_I… think I know what she means by that._

 

→ **Catharsis**

→ Cat hair

→ The injustice of the current law system.

 

 **Natsuka:** So… helping people gives you some form of catharsis?  


**Shiori:** [Annoyed, cheeks puffed.] I-I wouldn’t describe it like that… but I suppose i-in a sense, you’re right.

 

[Thinking pose, binder held in left hand] I-I’d say that… I need it to live. People back a-at my old school used to always ask me a lot of t-things…

 

I-I didn’t really care, because I was making them happy! Their smiles a-and blushy cheeks, a-and crows feet… it m-made me feel genuine!

 

 **Natsuka:** It made you feel… genuine?

 

 **Shiori:** [Happy, holding binder with both hands] Hm… I-I made this quote up once, it said…

 

[Neutral pose] “The most genuine people are the ones you can be genuine around.”

 

 **Natsuka:** … That’s… nice, but what did they ask you back at your old school?

 

 **Shiori:** [Curious, binder held to chest] O-oh, nothing really.

 

[Happy, binder pinned at waist] J-just normal things, like doing their homework and sneaking into the school at 4 AM!

 

S-sometimes they’d ask me to listen to other people’s conversations, when I-I was done, they looked really mad, but th-they still thanked me, so it was okay!

 

[Finger to chin, cheeks puffed, looking left] B-but sometimes I messed up- I-I still mess up…

 

L-like one time, I-I r-recommended a w-weight loss diet to Mr. Oguro b-because he doesn’t appear to enjoy it- b-but he yelled at me, so I-I think h-he hates me now…

 

A-and another time, I asked M-Mr. Arita if he wanted s-some Cola, s-since that’s a very popular drink a-at this time, I believe…

 

[Sad, binder at waist] B-But he knocked it out of my hands a-and said that he h-hates soft drinks.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Shiori:** …

 

 **Natsuka:** … I… What?

 

 **Shiori:** [Scared, hiding behind binder] I-I’m sorry!! I did something strange didn’t I? O-oh no I’m doing something strange r-right now oh no-

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s fine. I guess.

 

I think it’s more likely that… They don’t realize that you’re not trying to be rude. I can’t say much for Kiyoshi, since he’s horrible…

 

But Ota hates when anyone talks about that.

 

 **Shiori:** [Overwhelmed, binder held to chest] U-uuuu… I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!! I-I’m a failure as a secretary for failing to notice that!!!

 

I-I just wanna make people happy… i-is that bad?

 

_It’s… a bit more than that._

 

 **Natsuka:** … It seems to me like you… base your entire personality off of the catharsis you gain from making people happy.

 

 **Shiori:** I-I suppose you… may be right.

 

[Annoyed, cheeks puffed] B-but please stop calling it c-catharsis!

 

_That’s… kind of what it is, though._

 

 **Natsuka:** … Whatever. You just keep doing that, I g-

 

 **Shiori:** [Surprised] O-oh jeezums! I-I need to get back to work, I-I apologize, Ms. Hino!!

 

_And with that, she ran away._

 

_I walked to the food court again after that, which is when I realized… something is… missing._

  


**Natsuka:** … Why hasn’t the new floor been shown to us?

 

 **Monokuma:** [Angered, arms in the air] WELL THAT’S A VERY GOOD QUESTION NATSUKAAAAAAAAA!!

 

 **Natsuka:** GYAAAAAAAA!!

 

 **Monokuma:** [Hands covering mouth] Pff, little hecko. Scaredy girl. Scared hecko little girl. Heck girl. Girl.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Cease.

 

 **Monokuma:** [Laidback, arm behind head] First off: no!

 

Second off: the reason the third floor isn’t currently open is because…

 

[Hands covering mouth] This next motive is the biggest and most technologically advanced one yet!

 

 **Natsuka:** … There’s… more motives?

 

 **Monokuma:** [Claw unsheathed] NO SHIT SHERLOCK DICKHEAD!

 

[Laidback, arm behind head] After all, why would y’all wanna kill each other without a heckin’ motive, huh?

 

 **Natsuka:** That… that’s the point! We don’t want to kill each other!

 

 **Monokuma:** [Thinking, paw to mouth] And I don’t wanna go to work, but we can’t all have what we want, can we!?

 

_… Monochromatic demon bears can go to work?_

 

 **Monokuma:** [Neutral] … Anyways, I’m gonna go now. Bye.

 

 **Natsuka:** H-hey, get back he-!!

 

_And then he left again._

 

 **Natsuka:** … GOD DAMNIT!

 

_I stormed off to the 1st floor to get some stuffed animals from Pasteland. Those always help me feel better._

 

_… There were two figures in Killer Cuts. One was very large and imposing, and the other was a bit wide, but generally average._

 

[Investigate the Figures?]

 

→ **Yes**

→ No

 

 **Overwhelmingly Average Man’s Voice:** Okay-- listen. Bud. There’s probably not gonna be much in your size.

 

 **Very Deep Man’s Voice:** … There’s gotta be _somethin’_ else.

 

 **Overwhelmingly Average Man’s Voice:** Probably not.

 

_I don’t think I should just spy on them again, so I walked in._

 

 **Natsuka:** What’s going on here?

 

 **Ota:** [Arms crossed] Oh. Hey.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Neutral, hands in pockets] Nothing really, Ota and I were just gonna get him some new clothes.

 

 **Ota:** [Cracking knuckles] Much as I hate his ass, he was right… I smell like shit.

 

_He didn’t actually say who the “he” was in that sentence… but… no one could forget that._

 

 **Natsuka:** I’d compare it more to a sweaty must.

 

_NATSUKA Y. HINO HOLD YOUR GOD DAMNED TONGUE_

 

 **Ota:** [Hands on hips] … That might work better.

 

 **Natsuka:** … how are you… dealing?

 

 **Ota:** [Face dropped, arms crossed] …

 

… I-It’s gonna take some time till it’s gonna sink in…

 

… I’m… scared… about what I’m gonna do when it does…

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Ota:** I… I think… maybe, I might be fine. M-maybe.

 

 **Tsubasa:** …

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Awkward and sad, arms crossed] W-well, since that’s over and done with… I hope, could you help us find _something?_

 

 **Natsuka:** … *Sigh*, sure.

 

_I spent some time helping Ota and Tsubasa find some clothes that were in Ota’s size, which surprisingly wasn’t that hard, but… they were strange._

 

 **Natsuka:** These clothes all have… descriptions. On their tags, I mean. It seems that they were all modeled after other people’s outfits… maybe.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Awkward, right hand by head] That’s kind of a stretch, don’tcha think?

 

 **Ota:** [Pensive, arms crossed] That’s… kinda weird. Whatever, Where’s the changin’ room?

 

 **Tsubasa:** It’s basically just over there, so.

 

 _After giving Ota the clothes, we waited for him to change. I hadn’t actually looked at the clothes much, just the sizes. I think one or two might have been too small for him, but hopefully not… I hope to_ **_God_ ** _that they’re not too small. No one wants to see that._

 

_… Stop thinking like that, Natsuka. God, you’re such a bitch, you only pretend to be nice to people when you think shit like that about them, you’re such a fake piece of shit. You actually think people like you? Hell no, they just pretend to like you to seem polite, and you don’t even tell them the truth? The truth, that you look down on them constantly. You know you’re a horrible person, but you keep trying to shove that out of your way. You’re absolutely pathetic, you realize that, rig-?_

 

_The door opened before it could continue._

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Stunned, neutral pose] …

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

Is…

 

Is that a God damned beekeeping suit?

 

[CG: Ota in a Beekeeping Suit]

 

 **Ota:** L-Look, I dunno! I just fuckin’ put it on!

 

It… it fits, but it’s kinda warm.

 

_I looked at the tag that I had in my hand. They didn’t actually NEED the tags, so I just pulled them off when I got them._

 

 **Natsuka:** Uh… “This full body suit belongs to the great beekeeper…”

 

_It looked like someone had changed the letters with a red marker. Fuck you Monokuma._

 

 **Natsuka:** “Kadamu” … “Kasuhiro. His dedication to the one he loves and the stinging insects he cares for have earned him very loving friends, though some [Bakaaki Bishimaru] claim that he’s truly a bad person. This remains unconfirmed.”

 

And then… there’s a picture?

 

_The picture was a bust-up shot of a man wearing the outfit Ota was in, he had pale skin and long, flowing brown hair, his eyes were a similar shade._

 

 **Ota:** … That’s kinda weird.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [awkward, right hand by head] Yeah, really…

 

 **Ota:** Yeeaah… I don’t think I like this one.

 

 **Natsuka:** There are 5 more in the dressing room.

 

 **Ota:** Oh! Cool!

 

_And with that he went back in, and then back out._

 

[CG: Ota in a Goth-Esque Outfit]

 

 **Ota:** The shirt’s kinda snug, I think? Other than that I think it’s pretty aight.

 

_Ota’s outfit this time was… very dark. He was wearing a mask with several boxes of varying color that looked very hard to draw. There was also a dark purple-red shirt with a spider web pattern. Above that was a black varsity jacket with red accents. The bottom was the most interesting part, they were basically just yoga pants that had a bone pattern, the shoes were just… sneakers, basically. That was it._

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Neutral talking pose] I… kinda like it.

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s okay. I guess.

 

Eh-ehm… “This outfit belongs to “Hoshi Youjou”, the mysterious one in his class, known as a dark and cold man with a giant frame. He appears to have a soft spot for spiders, but his talent is currently unknown. Sweaty, according to some.”

 

 **Ota:** Uhh… ya think there are any spiders in here? The outfit, I mean.

 

 **Natsuka:** Probably, if they kidnapped this guy, he might’ve just had spiders shoved in his pockets.

 

 **Ota:** …

 

_He immediately went back in the changing room, I could hear something being thrown against the door._

 

_… and then a shout that seemed very high for the person I knew was behind that door…_

 

_… Followed by something being repeatedly stomped on by someone very heavy._

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Surprised, sweating a bit, neutral pose] Is… is he okay?

 

 **Natsuka:** Maybe? I don’t know.

 

_After a little, he came out again, fanning his neck._

 

[CG: Ota in a Scarf and White Clothes]

 

 **Ota:** Bluh… fuck is up with this shit? What kinda big guy wears a fuckin’ _scarf?!_ That’s just askin’ for Mustytown to move in on your ass.

 

_This outfit consisted of a black scarf, loose white clothes, and a belt in the middle, like a karate gi of some sort. There were also a pair of fingerless gloves on his hands. It was a plain outfit, but it looked like he hated it solely because of the scarf._

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Happy, pointing up] That one’s pretty good! Looks like it fits pretty alright too!

 

 **Ota:** I hate scarves…

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Bashful, sweating and leaning right] Oh… that sucks.

 

 **Natsuka:** “This loose and athletic set is the chosen outfit of the amazing Ninja, “Snoro Shippudem”. His attitude is that no matter your profession, you should always do what you love. He’s known among his class for cooking meals and being extremely loud. His outfit goes great with a superhero theme…”

 

Why would that go with a superhero theme? Is this some kind of dumb inside joke or whatever that I don’t get?

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Shrugging] Probably not?

 

 **Ota:** … Sounds aight, but his clothes are shit.

 

 **Natsuka:** Well there are three more left, so.

 

 **Tsubasa:** You’ll totally find one that you can stand!

 

_And with that, he went back in, and then back out._

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Stunned, neutral pose] …

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

What… is that?

 

 **Ota:** I-I dunno! It’s just l-like… gh…

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Blushing mess, fiddling with hoodie] … Where’s the shirt?

 

[CG: Ota in a Coat]

 

 _Ota’s outfit this time was… it was an outfit, the only real notable features of it were the large and flowing coat that had golden shoulderpads and red accents on it’s blue main body, and the… fluffy pants? I didn’t know what I should call them, but they were definitely covering the lower half of him. He wasn’t wearing shoes… or a shirt. He was pulling the two sides of the coat together to cover up that fact._   
  
**Natsuka:** U-uh… uhh…

 

“This breezy outfit was originally warn by the one who took a journey to stop the hunger of his homeland, “Masubode Himseki.” Equipped with a kind heart and an open mind, Masubode treats those around him with courtesy and compassion.”

 

_Below that was a picture of a dark skinned man with brown hair in dreadlocks and a beard. He wore Ota’s current outfit, and I could assume that his name might sound something like “Masubode.” Judging by the red marker, these probably weren’t their real names, which gave me a relief so great that I could have probably actually gained a will to be a good person._

 

 **Natsuka:** … Is that it? He’s basically just nice and wears _significantly_ less than the amount of clothing someone should probably wear outside.

 

 **Ota:** Y-yeah I don’t fuckin’ like this one- I-I’ll just-

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Blushing mess, hoodie pulled over face] Y-yeah, please.

 

_And then he went back into the changing room…_

 

_And came out with something that was even worse than before._

 

[CG: Ota fanning himself in layered clothes]

 

 **Ota:** Guhhh… I feel like I'm gonna die…

 

_Ota was wearing a red cape esque thing, like a sort of poncho. Below that was a beige-yellow sweater. The pants looked fairly fluffy too. He had a clock on a necklace for some reason. Ota himself looked like he was travelling through all 9 circles of hell at the same time. Including the heat. Mostly the heat._

 

 **Tsubasa:** Are… are you even okay?

 

 **Ota:** N-no… no. I’m gettin’ fuckin’ heat stroke.

 

 **Natsuka:** Deal with it while I read this.

 

“It’s like something a  desert adventurer would wear! This outfit belongs to the Philosopher, “Boudin Nirvana.” His non-stop tongue and thoughts about life have made him unapproachable to some, but in general, he’s fairly okay.”

 

 _Underneath that description was a man with a lighter shade of russet skin and cream blonde hair in a man bun with a fringe. He had a series of accessories and the clothes Ota was wearing._  
  
**Ota:** HOW DOES HE LIVE LIKE THIS

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Confused, hand gesturing by head] … Heat resistance, maybe?

 

 **Ota:** … HOW?

 

 **Natsuka:** Whatever, just don’t get it too soaked with must, someone might like that outfit.

 

_I fucking hate you, my mouth._

 

 **Ota:** … Sure.

 

_And then he went in. I’ve been here for way too long, I’m very glad that this is the last outfit._

 

Finally, he came out with the last outfit… which was boring.

 

 **Ota:** I think I kinda like this one, actually!

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Hands behind back, smiling] Oh, yeah, me too! It fits pretty well too!

 

 **Natsuka:** … That’s… it feels unnatural seeing Ota wearing something that’s… normal.

 

[CG: Ota in a School Uniform]

 

_It was just a school uniform. That’s it. It was a large size, but that’s about all._

 

 **Natsuka:** Okayy… let me just…

 

  
“This is a school uniform that belongs to-”

… Jesus fucking…

“This is a school uniform that belongs to “Dunichi Waternabae.” He’s tired and big. He lifts, bro.”

… That’s all it says.

 

_Below that was a picture of a tan boy with pink-ish hair and freckles._

 

 **Ota:** [“Dunichi” Outfit, awkward, hand behind neck] … I guess it’s the best one. Kinda snug, but whatevs. I’ll deal till I can wash m’ jumpsuit.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Awkward, right hand by head] Uh, is okay if I come with? I don’t really have any… anything to do, so…

 

_… That reminds me._

 

 **Natsuka:** Is Aiko…?

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Confused/Worried, arms crossed] …

 

She let me in, but… she didn’t really talk much. She just layed in bed and that was… that was it.

 

[Same pose, eyes on camera] … Something tells me you might be able to, though.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Why?

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Hand on arm, looking down] Because… you’re more blunt than me, you don’t just… no pun intended, dance around all the time.

 

Your special variety of assholery is kind of my only hope… so, please. Could you try?

 

[Help Tsubasa?]

 

→ **Yes**

→ No

 

 **Natsuka:** … I’ll… I’ll try.

 

… But only because I have nothing better to do.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Hand on arm, lighter smile] Yeah, right.

 

 **Natsuka:** Shut your… ass. Face. Shut your assface.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Smiling, hand by mouth] Sure. *Chuckle*

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s… probably not a problem. Probably. Potentially.

 

 **Tsubasa:** Yeah, I get it.

 

 **Natsuka:** I’ll see you, I guess.

 

_And after that, it was over._

 

\--

 

_Aiko’s door was decorated with a pixelated portrait of herself, like everyone’s was. It captured her blonde hair and her pink clothes and the like. I knocked on the door…_

 

 **Mildly Whiny Woman’s Voice:** It’s open.

 

_The voice that answered didn’t have Aiko’s usual snarky pep, from what it sounded like, she was probably just struggling to speak loud enough. It was… sad._

 

_I walked into the room._

 

_The entire decor of it was very occultic, with ritualistic books and skulls and such. The walls were a dark maroon, but it seemed like Aiko had started painting them pink. I doubt she’ll finish any time soon. The most pressing matter at hand was Aiko laying in her bed. Her hat was on the floor next to her, and she was in a nightgown… where did she even get that? It has a collar, so it’s not even a good nightgown._

 

[CG: Aiko in her bed, nightgown]

 

 **Natsuka:** Hello… Aiko.

 

 **Aiko:** …

 

…

 

Yo.

 

 **Natsuka:** Are you okay?

 

 **Aiko:** …

 

Nah.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

Could you… could you tell me what’s wrong?

 

_I’m horrible at this._

 

 **Aiko:** …

 

Kosuke Suzuki.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Hm?

 

 **Aiko:** His name was… Kosuke Suzuki.

 

He… He’s what’s wrong.

  
  


_… I don’t know whether to pry or not. This is why I need to learn tact._

 

 **Natsuka:** Who’s that?

 

_Smooth._

 

 **Aiko:** … The way that piece of shit moved… the way he talked… the words he used… it was all Kosuke. All of it… was Kosuke.

 

… Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Forgot that you dunno.

 

 **Natsuka:** … The piece of shit you’re referring to is Rouki, right?

 

 **Aiko:** … Y-yeah.

 

Kosuke… In a fucked up way… He kinda made me who I am today.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Could you… elaborate?

 

_I’m bad at tact._

 

 **Aiko:** … Sure.

 

Kosuke was… My first boyfriend.

 

 **Natsuka:** Of course he was.

 

_WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS_

 

 **Aiko:** Heh… yeah. Of course…

 

He… we got together when I was around 12… 13, maybe… I suppressed a lotta that time.

 

He was the singer of local band, and he was popular… he had a crush on me, and I didn’t refuse…

 

When it started… I felt like… like it was good… then he started the… bad stuff.

 

_My body couldn't decide whether to be satisfied with an answer to her behavior or to be mortified of what I was about to be told._

 

 **Aiko:** …

 

I-I don’t wanna… say much… but it wasn’t good…  I was, like, walking on eggshells…

 

…

 

That summer was warm for me especially.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Elaborate.

 

 **Aiko:** … I wore a sweater whenever I went outside. It was black, had a crucifix on it.

 

I think it was… Like, August 9th… there was a heat wave… I got heat stroke so bad I had to go to the hospital.

 

Obviously, i-it… it was the sweater… they took it off so I’d have room to breathe.

 

… That day was probably… one of the most conflicting days of my life…

 

 **Natsuka:** … You don’t have to keep talking.

 

 **Aiko:** … I need to. I-I need to get over this-- i-it’s been _years_ and I’m still being controlled by him…

 

 **Natsuka:** … I still don’t understand.

 

 **Aiko:** Uh… basically, after that I… felt alone, like, I couldn’t control anything… so… I controlled things…

 

I was probably responsible for around… half of the rumors and drama at my school? It just… felt good. I was finally in control. When I was bored, things would get fun, when I was tired, they would stop…

 

A-all because of that…

 

 **Natsuka:** And your reaction at the trial was because of… him, right?

 

 **Aiko:** …

  
I thought I was over it.

 

I’m not.

 

_And then we sat in silence._

 

[CG END]

 

 **Aiko:** [Nightgown, weary, hands behind waist, looking down] … Sorry for that.

 

I… don’t know why, but I feel like I can tell you a lot… Like, I know you won’t tell anyone… somehow.

 

 **Natsuka:** …Well you’re not exactly _wrong._ The most I do here is listen and talk to people about flowers. That’s… basically it.

 

That’s basically all I’m good for.

 

 **Aiko:** [Nightgown, tilted head, finger to chin] … Can I, like, tell you something?

 

 **Natsuka:** Sure.

 

 **Aiko:** [Nightgown, fingers together, blushing] …

  
Um… Ahh… I… Uh…

 

_Spit it out, woman._

 

If I’m being honest, I never really… like… _liked,_ guys.

 

_Obviously. No woman who wears that much makeup can be a heterosexual._

 

 **Natsuka:** I’m not surprised.

 

 **Aiko:** [Nightgown, eyes wide] … Really?

 

 **Natsuka:** Your aura has exactly 0 of the “I date men because I enjoy their company and not because I want to conform to society’s vision of the perfect feminine woman” spirit.

 

 **Aiko:** [Nightgown, hand by head, explaining] That’s not a thing.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Whatever.

 

… Who _do_ you like, if anyone?

 

_God, I sound like a gossiping teenage girl, and I’m only ½ of those things._

 

 **Aiko:** [Nightgown, fingers together, blushing] …

  
That’s… unimportant.

 

A-anyways…

  
[Nightgown, looking down, hand on arm] I’m gonna be fine… I just… I need a break from existing for a while. I’ll be out of here by tomorrow, promise…

 

E-everyone’s so scared of being killed… A-all of these fears are just stockpiling on me a-and I just need to… stop being real for a day or two.

 

 **Natsuka:** Okay then.

 

_Shortly after that, I took my leave._

 

\--

_Dinner in the mall was always… eventful, I guess. Katsuo and Daichi usually worked together to serve and cook it (as it turns out, Daichi is actually a good chef. Somehow.) Today was fairly different, since most of everyone who remained was crowding around Ota, aside from Daichi, Tsubasa, Aiko and I. I don’t know why Daichi wasn’t there, but Tsubasa had been there to help. I assumed he had already seen Ota’s new wardrobe. Aiko, obviously, was in her room._

 

 **Chishiko:** [Jumping in the air] Wowie zow~!! Tubby got some clothes that _don’t_ smell like 9 month old bed sweat!

 

 **Kiyoshi:** [Thinking, finger on chin, other hand on arm]… A school uniform… I approve.

 

 **Yui:** [Scratching cheek] Nna… Looks nice.

 

 **Miyako:** [Unsettled, hands folded at waist] I apologise if this is rude, but it’s vaguely unsettling to see the Ogre in a shade that isn’t some form of indigo.

 

 **Ren:** [Starry-eyed, arms pumped up] Dude, you look lit as shit!

 

 **Ota:** [“Dunichi” outfit, blushing mess, trying to look stoic] G-guys…

 

_I took a sip of my hot chocolate. They’re all kind of idiots, but they’re… likable, I guess._

 

_Suddenly, Daichi leaned on my table._

 

 **Daichi:** [Smooth(?), finger-gun on chin] Why hello there, Maiden Hino… Would you, perhaps, like to spend some time together?

 

_… What the fuck._

 

_Daichi seems flirtier than usual. I wonder what that’s about. Maybe Chishiko fed him aphrodisiacs or something._

 

[Spend time with Daichi?]

 

→ **Yes**

→ No

 

 **Natsuka:** … Sure.

 

 **Daichi:** [Happy, swinging arm, other arm on hip] Valiance! I shall be your honorable companion in this journey!

 

_Daichi and I looked through the bakery as we looked for some good cakes. We eventually settled on the vanilla cake, I didn’t think he would, since he’s the opposite of boring, but he did._

 

 **Daichi:** [Dramatic, hands on hips] That was very enjoyable, Maiden Hino!

 

 **Natsuka:** *yawn* I guess it was.

 

 **Daichi:** [Worried, hand slightly reaching forward] Ah, Maiden Hino, are you tired?!

 

 **Natsuka:** Today’s been… it’s been eventful. I’m pretty tired.

 

_It was less than a full 2 seconds before I found myself being held in the air._

 

 **Natsuka:** W-

 

GYAAH!!

 

_Less than a full second later, I was on the floor, and my back hurt._

 

 **Daichi:** [Hand to mouth, other hand waving forward] A-AH!! I APOLOGIZE SINCERELY, MAIDEN HINO!!

 

 **Natsuka:** Yeah, you should be! Ugh…

 

_I climbed up to my feet and dusted myself off._

 

 **Natsuka:** Why did you even do that!?

 

 **Daichi:** [Crossed arms, looking right] W-well, I presumed it would be romantic for the knight to carry the sickly princess to her quarters…

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

…

 

_Are we in a romantic relationship? Am I romancing?_

 

 **Daichi:** [Panicking, both arms held out] OH! That is not to imply that we are in a romantic relationship!!

 

_Oh._

 

 **Natsuka:** Then… why did you want to do something romantic? That makes no sense.

 

 **Daichi:** [Awkward, fingers together] W-well, uh… erm… there is a pattern I’ve noticed…

 

Many relationships that include a servant or a sellsword or something o-of the like and their master are very popular as of late…

 

I presumed that doing romantic things with you would initiate a relationship!

 

 **Natsuka:** … Why are you concerned with what’s popular?

 

 **Daichi:** [Confused, hand slightly reaching forward] Oh, have you not noticed, Maiden Hino?

 

Most things that are popular gain a lot affection and love! I assumed you would enjoy that, I sincerely apologize if I assumed incorrectly!!

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

_Daichi, no matter how weird he can be, I can’t say that he isn’t nice._

 

 **Natsuka:** Did you even… think of yourself?

 

 **Daichi:** [Pointing forward] OF COURSE NOT!!

 

[Proud, arms crossed] A knight’s duty is to be selfless and chivalrous, selfishness has no place in the heart of a man of chivalry!

 

_… A little too nice, in fact._

 

 **Natsuka:** Do you… _ever_ think of yourself?

 

 **Daichi:** [Thinking, finger-gun to chin] Hm… of course, but that is something I wish to change soon.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Do you have a favorite food? A favorite animal? A person you’d like to ask out?

 

 **Daichi:** [Energetic, arms by face] Of course!

 

My favorite food is caesar salad, my favorite animal is the snail and-

 

[Deep thought, arms crossed] Hm…

 

 **Natsuka:** … What’s wrong?

 

 **Daichi:** I cannot think of someone I’d like to ask out, I don’t think I should ask any individual out…

 

 **Natsuka:** No no no. This is highschool. The only people who make lasting, loving relationships here are mormons.

 

 **Daichi:** …

 

I do… heavily appreciate Sir Oguro’s personality and physical appearance, but I do not believe he’d like to enter another romantic relationship after last time…

 

_… Oh._

 

 **Natsuka:** … I didn’t expect you to admit that so casually.

 

 **Daichi:** [Confused, head tilted] Hm? Admit what?

 

 **Natsuka:** Isn’t it obvious? Having a crush on another man. That’s usually taboo in families like ours.

 

 **Daichi:** [Arms crossed] It is in mine as well, but I do not believe that loving your own is a violation of my moral code, so I do it as I please!

 

While I can feel for women, I find myself feeling for men more often than that, it’s quite simple, I believe!

 

_I’m learning a little too much about my classmates’ sexualities to be normal in one day today, aren’t I?_

 

 **Natsuka:** Well… That’s nice.

 

 **Daichi:** [Dramatic, hands on hips] It is!

 

_Daichi and I spent the rest of our platonic time together eating a cake. It reminded me of last time, but I suppressed those memories._

 

_\--_

_I layed in bed that night with worry in my chest._

 

_This motive was apparently so technologically advanced that he needed another day to prepare an entire floor for it… just what could that even be?_

 

_My anxious thoughts put me to sleep._

 

_Little did I know, that I wasn’t anxious enough._

 

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**CHAPTER 3**

**PART 1**

**END**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. that happened.  
> this is chapter 3, so that means... double murder! yaY!!!!  
> here are some polls
> 
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13989400 - victim  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13989402 - victim  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/13989404 - killer  
> hope yall enjoyed that little kinda filler chapter
> 
> \--  
> Confirmed Orientations  
> \--  
> Daichi- Bi  
> Aiko- Lesbian


	15. [2] Daily Life: Stand in the Dark and Open Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the motive occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi CW for being shot in the fucking head uwu  
> sorry for the wait im too gay for deadlines

**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**PART 2**

**  
** **START**

 

**__**

 

_ There’s a certain feeling that involves starting the day fine, peaceful and all that, but in your heart and soul you know that it won’t be fine, peaceful and all that. _

 

_ That’s the feeling I got that morning. _

 

_ Would monokuma’s motive be revealed today? Would I have to go another day… just waiting? What could a technologically advanced motive be? What did it mean? Why did he need to block off the entire floor? _

 

_ Thoughts like that kept racing through my head until my anxiety forced me to get out of bed. Pacing and pacing and pacing. _

_  
_ _ Why do I need to go into the outside… inside… there, anymore? Why did I have to talk to people who I know are just going to die and kill and die and… everything is just awful. I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to have another reason to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to want to die. _

 

_ After having what was probably my 19th mental breakdown this week, I decided to finally go out, and I got to the Food Court. _

 

\--

 

**Yui:** [Tired, wiping face] Nna… What’s up? You were kinda late.

 

**Natsuka:** … Nothing, really.

 

_ In the food court, Yui suddenly found herself next to me. She left her breakfast at her table (next to Katsuo) and I didn’t really know why. Maybe it was because she had a 6th sense, like a cat or a religious mother. Either way, she could detect that I was feeling bad somehow. Annoying. _

 

**Yui:** [Open mouth, hands folded] … Okay then. See ya… don’t lie to me. I’ll kick ya… 

[Pointing] You can quote me on that. I’ll kick ya with m’ bare feets. Right in the face.

 

**Natsuka:** I get it, you can stop talking now.

 

_ Yui kind of brought me to my senses. I think I must have an anxiety disorder or… something. All I can think of is what’s going to happen, I don’t even know if it  _ **_is_ ** _ going to happen, but I’m still just worrying… I need some kind of distraction, God. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ I walked towards the escalator, and when I got to the second floor… I noticed something. _

 

**Natsuka:** It’s… still not open?

 

_ The door to the third floor was still covered by electric wire, it still wasn’t open. Oh God, what if I have to wait even longer? What’ll happen then? Will the anxiety just kill me from the inside, is the fact that we’ll be waiting forever the actual motive and I’m just being played by Monokuma? God save me. _

 

_ I could feel my breath starting to get hushed and quick, I instinctively put my hand to my chest and tried calming myself. You’re being an idiot. You’re overreacting. Stop being so paranoid. I could feel my eyes get a little glossy. You’re seriously going to cry over some dumb anxiety? God, pathetic.  _

 

_ No matter how much I try to distract myself from this by making “friends” and talking with people, there’s always something in the back of my head. _

 

_ “I’m scared.” _

 

_ I’m scared of dying. No matter how much I try to be useful and whatever, I’m still just a highschool girl. I’m not an adult. I’m scared. I’m going to die. I can’t stop the inevitable, and yet I’m so scared. Why am I scared? I don’t need to be scared, if I die then I won’t have to do this anymore, why am I scared?! _

 

**Natsuka:** Ota.

 

_ He’d been near me the entire time, but I didn’t notice him. _

 

**Ota:** [Eyes wide, arm kind of gesturing] …

 

You aight? 

 

**Natsuka:** Sure. Sure I’m “aight” or whatever. The question should be more about you. Are you okay?

 

**Ota:** [Looking down, fist lightly balled] … Prolly… prolly not.

 

[Eyes wide, hands on hips] Uhh… you wanna get somethin’ to eat? That always makes me feel better.

 

[Spend time with Ota?]

 

→  **Yes**

→ No

 

**Natsuka:** Oh, of course you’d say th- … Ota. Punch me in the face.

 

**Ota:** …

 

[Raised brow] The fuck? No, just- eat somethin’, it makes ya feel better!

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

I’m about to say something that I will regret. Kill me before that happens.

 

**Ota:** [Hand on head, clenching on face] God fuckin’-- NO I’M NOT DOIN’ THAT!

 

\--

 

_ Despite my sudden masochism, Ota brought me back to the food court, which proved for an adequate distraction from… that. _

 

**Natsuka:** … Ota. I have a question for you.

 

**Ota:** [Finger held up to chin] Uhhh… yeah, what up?

 

**Natsuka:** Why are your… teeth… like that?

 

**Ota:** Uhh… 

 

If I’m bein’ perfectly honest, I don’t fuckin know.

 

**Natsuka:** How? Is it a genetic disorder? An abnormality? Some kind of forced implant?

 

**Ota:** [Shrugging] I dunno, man. I just kinda got ‘em.

 

They ain’t that bad, and they did help me come up with a nickname n’ stuff.

 

**Natsuka:** You have a nickname? Your name is 3 letters long.

 

 **Ota:** [Confused/Pondering, finger to lip] Uhhh… not a nickname like that. 

 

[Prideful, finger pointing up] I actually tried out amateur wrestlin’ for awhile, called me “The Ogre”!

 

_ It does make sense that someone as strong as Ota would be a wrestler, but does a weight class even exist for him? _

 

**Natsuka:** Because of your teeth?

 

**Ota:** Yeah, pretty much. That an’ I’m fat as fuck, so I kinda look like an Ogre. Hella fitting.

 

_ … That’s… honest. He’s not  _ **_wrong,_ ** _ but still. _

 

**Ota:** [Both hands pointing to teeth] These things ain’t ‘xactly attractive, but I don’t think they get in the way o’ much!

[Hands on hips, sort of cross eyed] They’re just kinda… annoyin’. Gettin in the way o’ stuff. Makes me feel bad.

 

When I was, like… 13 or 14, I think, I had a girlfriend. She was prolly just desperate, since she was constantly talkin’ shit ‘bout me. Name was Aya.

 

_ For some reason I’m surprised to hear that. Not sure if it’s the dramatic overcompensation or the fact that you had a girlfriend at 13. _

 

**Ota:** [Sweating, hand gesturing] U-uh… that prolly seemed random an’ stuff, but I gotta point.

 

Uhhh… I can’t really get affectionate n’ stuff with these, like kissin’ peeps is super hard, but… I’m ugly anyway, so whatevs. Wasn’t gonna get any anyways.

 

_ Ota… really puts himself down a lot, but he doesn’t like other people insulting him. Is it a possibility that that’s the root of it all? I’m not sure, but it seems plausible. _

_  
_ _ Whatever, I should just say something to make him… not feel like shit. _

 

**Natsuka:** Well, you’re not the  **most** unattractive person I’ve ever seen. That’s probably true.

 

**Ota:** [A bit sad, hand on cheek] Yep. Sure. 

 

_ Shit. How do I recover from this? _

 

[What to say to Ota?]

 

→ Fat dudes are hot.

→ You’re ugly.

**→ Hotness is fake and nothing is real.**

 

**Natsuka:** Ota, traditional attractiveness is a construct by the media to make us buy beauty products in order to fit that perfect mold that no actual human can put themselves into unless they’re a… lost relative of the Greek Goddess of beauty Aphrodite… or something.

 

_ Why are you being this specific? _

 

Who knows? Maybe someone in your age range likes… ogre teeth, constant locker room smell, chubbiness, and body hair.

 

It could happen. Maybe they’re even a decent human.

 

_ Wow. What the fuck. Stop talking. _

 

**Ota:** [Shocked, eyes wide, hand up] … 

 

U-uh… I… wow… That’s… thanks. Wow.

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

_ Did I… not offend him somehow? _

 

**Natsuka:** Not a problem.

 

**Ota:** [Flirtatious, hand on chin] Say… you got the hots for me?

 

**Natsuka:** *Chuckle* Oh  _ God  _ no. I’d rather be sexually attracted to a hydrangea flower.

 

**Ota:** [Worried, sweating a little] U-uh… wuzzat?

 

**Natsuka:** Hydrangeas are poisonous but common flowers that, when the leaves or bud are eaten, can cause a variety of symptoms.

 

They include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, sweating, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, convulsions and comas. 

 

They’re common garden plants too, and sensitive people can get dermatitis from just  _ handling  _ them, but at least they look lovely.

 

_ … _

 

_ Why did I just say that oh God _

 

_ Okay. Okay. You can recover from this. You can be better than this. You’ll be fine. Everything is going to be fine. _

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

I am so sorry.

 

 **Ota:** [Sad, grabbing arm] Y-yeah. ‘S fine. Used to it.

 

_ You’re used to people comparing you to a poisonous flower. Oh shut up, that’s obviously not what he meant. God. _

 

**Natsuka:** … I’m trying to be a better person. It shouldn’t be okay for me to just… do that. It’s  _ not  _ okay, ever.

 

I’m just some… abhorrent bitch trying to be a decent human.

 

**Ota:** [Sweating, neutral pose, glancing away] … 

 

If I’m bein’ honest, you’re really not that bad. You might seem like… bad, but… You don’t wanna be.

 

[Melancholy, turning away with hand behind head] I… don’t have the best self esteem n’ stuff. I’m ugly n’ fat n’… the whole stuff with that guy ain’t makin’ it better.

 

… I’ve… been repressin’ m’self for so long and… the second I stop I’m… the accomplice for a murder. It… doesn’t help.

 

[Lighter expression, neutral pose, small smile] But…

 

Ya make me feel better cuz… you remind me that I ain’t gotta be perfect.

 

[Small smile, scratching head] That… sounds kinda bad, but it’s true. I see you goin’ around and tryin’ to get better and I think “Maybe you’re not hopeless.” It… makes me feel better.

 

I-I ain’t sayin’ you’re like, my hero or whatever, that’s dumb, but…

 

[Neutral pose] I think you’re pretty cool, Natsuka.

 

_ Oh my God I’m going to cry someone help _

 

**Natsuka:** … Thank you.

 

 **Ota:** [Arms crossed] No prob.

 

_ We spent a while just… venting and eating things. It was surprisingly nice. He gave me a hug after that. It was a good hug. He’s very pillowy. _

 

__

 

_ After that, I sat in Noble & Braun’s. It was quiet. I enjoy quiet, normally, but the anxiety of knowing whether or not the motive would occur today made the quiet deafening. The book I was glancing at was some dumb love story about a mischievous girl and a headstrong boy who were obviously going to be love interests. The book was decently written, but obviously predictable with such basic tropes and patterns that it just seemed like a game of “spot the unique plot point”. I failed. _

 

_ I focused on the book… the book… the… book. _

 

**Miyako:** Hello, Rose.

 

**Natsuka:** GYAAAA!!!   
  
_ Until I suddenly found myself lying on the ground. _

 

**Miyako:** [Eyes wide, head tilted left] …

 

[Trying not to smile, hand over mouth] Pff… pfffffttt… 

 

Huhuhuu… Uhuhuhuu… !

 

**Natsuka:** … Hello, Miyako. How are you.

 

_ Why is me falling on my ass becoming a pattern? I don’t want to be known for this. Sarcasm invaded my voice, which was apparently the world’s weakest kingdom, as it was invaded a lot. _

 

**Miyako:** [Smiling, hand over mouth] HUUHUHUUU! UHUHUHUU!

 

**Natsuka:** … Miyako?

 

**Miyako:** [Covering mouth with frill necklace(?)] Uhu… huhuhuu… hu… 

 

[Smiling, fist over mouth] I apologize, Rose, I often can’t restrain myself from laughter.

 

[Hands folded at waist] I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me, as we’re supposed to be friends.

 

[Spend Time With Miyako?]

 

→  **Yes**

→ No

 

**Miyako:** [Smiling, pointing] Excellent! We shall become the greatest of companions on this fine evening!

 

_ I spent time with Miyako drinking tea and discussing cats. We are… actually more similar than I initially thought. _

 

**Miyako:** [Grinning, hands folded at waist] Well, I am very thankful that my dress is dark as is, if I spilled anything, it would be ruined.

 

**Natsuka:** You like your dress a lot, don’t you?

 

**Miyako:** [Surprised, hands by face] Why of course, Rose! My dress is my primary form of self expression!

 

_ She is… very devoted to the gothic aesthetic she has. _

 

**Natsuka:** Well, it’s definitely very eccentric.

 

**Miyako:** [Bored, thinking pose] As intended. Eccentricism is my greatest strong point, aside from puppets.

 

**Natsuka:** … Is there a particular reason for your dress?

 

**Miyako:** [Looking left, hands on heart] …

 

Do you enjoy my company, Rose?

 

_ That’s a… strange question. _

 

**Natsuka:** … I’d say so. You’re not that bad.

 

**Miyako:** [Curtsying, polite] Well then, my dress has fulfilled it’s purpose.

 

**Natsuka:** What.

 

**Miyako:** I do not know if you’ve noticed, but I aim to please. Do I not?

 

_ Not… really. No. _

 

**Miyako:** [Hands clasped] As a person, my goal is to be likable, that’s everyone’s goal, certainly. I am a performer, so I must attempt doubly so.

 

**Natsuka:** Most actors I’ve heard of or met or- whatever, are assholes, Miyako.

 

**Miyako:** Then they aren’t good enough actors. An actor must be a able to put on a character not just on set or stage, but in their own life.

 

[Thinking, glancing right.] Then again, most people need to put on an act, if I’m being truly honest. Our thoughts are often too awful for people to like us after we’ve shared them.

 

But that’s probably just one of my senseless ramblings again.

 

_ She’s a strange one, that’s for certain. _

 

**Natsuka:** So… we’re basically all just fictional characters.

 

**Miyako:** [Eyes wide, hand on mouth] Oh, yes, truly!

 

[Arms across chest] Humans lie. Humans keep secrets. We want people to like us…

 

[Condescending, hand near face] I guarantee that everyone here has some form of secret, something that they don’t want anyone to find out.

 

It’s possible that they themselves don’t even know it… 

 

[Smiling, hands together in front of waist] Though not to toot my own horn, but I have a knack for seeing secrets.

 

**Natsuka:** You know I was  _ almost  _ freaked out there but then you said “toot my own horn” and half of your god damned gothic aesthetic was entirely lost on me.

 

**Miyako:** [Melancholy, looking away] Duly noted.

 

… Do you know the style of dress I wear, beyond just “Gothic?”

 

_ That… might be a tough one. _

 

[What type of dress does Miyako wear?]

 

→  **Gothic Lolita**

→ Steampunk

→ Gothic Maid

 

**Natsuka:** It’s… Gothic Lolita style, correct?

 

**Miyako:** [Smiling] Mostly correct, yes.

 

Gothic Lolita style fashion includes long black dresses combined with frills, which are usually white. The practitioners of this fashion are commonly pale with black hair, usually fairly short, though those appearances are commonly followed by…

 

[Disgusted, hands tensing up] A certain group of people… 

 

**Natsuka:** Eugh.

 

**Miyako:** [Hands on heart] Certainly.

 

**Natsuka:** Why are people… like that?

 

**Miyako:** [Exasperated, fingertips on heart] I don’t know, Rose, I don’t know.

 

**Natsuka:** … You don’t just dress like that.

 

**Miyako:** [Leaning left, curious] Hm?

 

**Natsuka:** I’ve noticed you kind of devote yourself to a segment of personality commonly associated with Gothic Lolita fashion, you make titles for people and act like a princess, but I don’t exactly know  _ why  _ yet.

 

**Miyako:** [Blank slate, neutral pose] …

 

People don’t enjoy characters who are good people, Natsuka Hino. They enjoy the ones who are terrible. The ones who feign their own morality through appearances. Those who consume ignore the hearts of gold and coat the hearts of black in a paint of gray. It’s simply something I’ve noticed as of late.

 

I… simply wish to be admired as much as that.

 

_ I hadn’t realized it at the time, but something was off about what she had said. It was only when I reminisced on it later that I realized… _

 

_ She had called me by my name, not “The Rose” or “Rose.” She hadn’t done that since… Her… Emizu’s death.  _

 

_ I couldn’t ask any more before I heard something from above me. _

 

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

 

**Monokuma:** Eh-ehm, eh ehm, testing, testing, 1 2 3.

 

I have a  _ very  _ special surprise for all of my wonderful students! Come to the newly opened 3rd floor to see!

 

**Miyako:** [Dismissive, looking away, brushing hair out of face] Hm… it seems as though we’ll have to cut this conversation short, I apologize, Rose.

 

**Natsuka:** It’s… fine. It’s fine.

 

_ And then she walked away. _

 

_ I suddenly felt my anxiety go from a pit in my stomach to a weight on my entire body. It manifested as chains on my legs and a straightjacket on my arms. I felt like I had forgot how to move, and the second I remembered I had felt like it was impossible. _

_  
_ _ After what seemed like an eternity, I finally gained the courage to walk. To move towards the source of my fear. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ The first thing I noticed as I rode the escalator, was…  _

 

_ A strange dome-ish figure with 12 slots. The slots seemed to have handles with triggers, but I doubt they’d just give us  _ **_guns._ **

 

**Chishiko:** [Confused, head tilted with hand near it] Hey hey, whaddaya think’s goin’ on here boys?

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Annoyed, massaging nose] I legitimately couldn’t care less if I tried, let’s just get this over with.

 

**Chishiko:** [Frustrated, cheeks puffed, hands curled] Aww, c’mon Kyosh! If you’re gonna be like that you should just sew your friggin’ mouth shut!

 

**Daichi:** [Shy, looking away] T-that is far too violent, Maiden Kamii!

 

**Ren:** [Looking away, hands on headphones] Well, she does kinda have a point, my dude. This is probably gonna be Monokuma’s next motive or… whatever.

 

**Shiori:** [Scared, hiding behind binder] M-motive!? B-but I don’t wanna kill anyone!!

 

**Miyako:** [Hands folded] Is that not the point, Servant? It is  _ because  _ we do not want to kill that he gives us these motives. It’s an incentive.

 

**Shiori:** [Sad, looking away] B-but still… when will he j-just leave us alone? H-he needs to realize that w-we don’t wanna do this!   
  


**Katsuo:** I… think he already has. That’s what she was just getting at.

 

 **Yui:** [Frustrated, closed eyes] No one cares about that… we just gotta get through this an’ then we can just… do nothin’.

 

**Ren:** [Awkward, hand behind back] No offense, but isn’t that kind of idealistic?

 

**Ota:** [Arms crossed, serious-ish] Bro, we kinda gotta be in this whole… situation.

 

**Ren:** [Finger guns] Haha! Shit, you right!

 

_ And that’s when he showed up. _

 

**Monokuma:** Hey hey! Quiet down now, quiet down, I’ve got your motive ready!

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Angry, pointing up] Rghh… Cut your shit!

 

**Aiko:** [Dramatic pointing] Yeah! Cut the shit!

 

**Chishiko:** [Leaning right, pushing up cheeks] *Gasp!* Have they… swapped roles!? 

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Hand on hip] What? Of course not!

 

**Aiko:** [Absentminded, twirling a lock of hair] Yeah, duh, of course not.

 

**Chishiko:** [Leaning in, pointing] Oh! OH! That’s it! You guys don’t notice it, but you’ve totes swapped ro-

 

 **Monokuma:** [Angry, arms in air] NO! ONE! CARES! ABOUT! YOUR! DRAMATICS!

 

[Happy, hands on chest] Aaaanyways! You’ve probably guessed, but this dome thingy majig is your new motive!

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Pushing glasses up] You really didn’t need to explain that, we’re not dense.

 

[Pushing glasses up, glaring]  _ Most of us  _ anyways.

 

**Ota:** [Arms crossed, unamused] …

 

**Monokuma:** Wow, nice shade-  _ AARRGHH!  _ You kids are always getting me sidetracked, let me introduce the motive!!

 

**Shiori:** [Anxious, tilting head, arms at waist] U-uh… aren’t you sidetracking yourself now?

 

**Monokuma:** …

 

[CG: Monokuma in front of the dome thing]

 

**Monokuma:** This! Is your motive for this killing!

 

**Aiko:** … But how, though?

 

**Daichi:** I agree with Maiden Hibarayashi! I do not understand how this is supposed to motivate us to murder!

 

**Monokuma:** I’m  **_GETTING TO THAT_ ** shitlips!

 

_ Monokuma pulled the thing connected to the handle from the slot. It looked like a gun with a wider nozzle than it probably should have. _

 

[CG: Monokuma with a Flashback Gun]

 

**Monokuma:** This little thing is something I like to call a  _ “Flashback Gun!” _

 

**Chishiko:** … A flashback… gun? Are you gonna give us back our stolen memories yet, cuz that’s basically all I’m looking forward to at this point!

 

**Monokuma:** Upupupupu… Of course not! This does exactly the opposite, in fact!

 

**Ren:** Exactly… the opposite?

 

**Monokuma:** Yes! This gun doesn’t give you memories, in fact, it  **takes away memories!**

 

_ The entire room was silent at that point. We were waiting for someone to say something or do something. No one did. We just stood in stunned silence until Monokuma decided to elaborate more. _

 

[CG END]

 

 **Monokuma:** [Hands on mouth] Alright alright, so.

 

[Laidback, hand behind back] Now, one at a time, take a Flashback Gun and point it at your eyes! Or your head, either one works!

 

Then, you know… pull.

 

**Ota:** [Baffled, mouth slightly agape] … 

 

Yo, what?

 

**Daichi:** [Overdramatic pointing] THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT SAFE!!

 

**Chishiko:** [Mischievous, hands brought together] Looks like Monokuma’s going the psychological route, we don’t know what memories they take away. Plus the fact that they look like guns doesn’t help.

 

**Ren:** [Eyes wide, mouth agape] S-so basically, giant fucking dick move, thotticus. Got it.

 

_ We all waited to see who’d go first.  _

 

**Monokuma:** [Neutral pose] …

 

Ugh, c’mon, stop bein’ a sissy and shoot yourself!

 

**Yui:** [Anxious, hand on heart] I-I’m  _ not  _ doing that first… 

 

**Katsuo:** [Hand behind head] … Me neither.

 

**Aiko:** [Looking in a pocket mirror] Hahaa, yeah, no.

 

**Monokuma:** Grhghgh… If SOMEONE doesn’t come up, I’m gonna… I’m gonna… hOooogh… 

 

[Powering up] H-

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Hand in pocket] Ugh, fine, I’ll go.

 

**Monokuma:** Oh good that’s good do it NOW

 

_ Kiyoshi walked to the dome, pulled a gun out of a slot and pointed it at his head. _

 

[CG: Kiyoshi pointing a Flashback Gun at his head]

 

**Kiyoshi:** Like this, basically?

 

**Monokuma:** Yes, yes! Perfection! Now pull the trigger, dickhead.

 

**Kiyoshi:** Ugh, fine.

 

_ And thus, Kiyoshi pulled the trigger. And we heard a bang. _

 

_ What shot from the gun wasn’t a bullet, but it was… a red flash of light, it looked like a red spirit had just been launched from the canister and into Kiyoshi’s face. _

 

[CG END]

 

**Monokuma:** Yaaay! Now everyone else. Do it. C’mon.

 

 **Katsuo:** [Hand drooping, arm held to side] … What was that?

 

**Chishiko:** [Turned Left, showing hand] Well, he just got part of his memories removed! Yay!

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Thinking pose] Strange… I don’t… feel like I’ve forgotten anything.

 

**Miyako:** [Touching cheek] Well that’s strange… the Ice King has just used a gun that removes memories on himself and yet he feels as though he’s perfectly fine. How curious.

 

**Chishiko:** “The Ice King?” Really?

 

**Monokuma:** Yeah yeah no one cares- who’s next?!

 

\--

 

_ We continued using the dome full of guns on ourselves because of Monokuma’s orders. When it came to my turn… _

 

_ … I was terrified. I don’t like guns. They’re just killing machines that people in other countries think are patriotic or historical or whatever. They’ve been used to kill thousands of people, and yet here I am, being forced to shoot myself with one. Even if it’s not a real gun, it still looks almost exactly like one. _

 

**Monokuma:** [Showing claws] UGH!! JUST DO IT ALREADY YOU MINT-BUSH LOOKIN’ ASS!!

 

_ I pulled the trigger and saw nothing but red…  _

 

_ And felt nothing off. _

 

_ The remaining students shot themselves with the remaining guns. Daichi had to lay on the floor behind the dome, Monokuma said he couldn’t wear a helmet and use a Flashback gun at the same time. _

 

**Kiyoshi:** Well… that was pointless.

 

**Chishiko:** [Cheshire smile, peace sign] Ah ah ah! I beg to differ, this was a wonderful and extremely effective bonding exercise, you guys!

 

**Ota:** [Hand on hip, turning right] That ain’t any exercise I’ve ever done…

 

**Chishiko:** [Laughing, hand over mouth] Pff, hah! You say that like you’ve done any at all, fatass!

 

**Ota:** [Angry, fist in hand] You little-!

 

**Aiko:** [Checking nails] He’s, like, literally a weightlifter, AKA- an athlete, dumbshit. If you’re gonna make dumb jokes, could you  _ attempt _ make them at least make sense? Maybe?

 

**Ota:** [Eyes wide] …

 

Thanks.

 

**Aiko:** [Happy, pointing up] No prob!

 

 **Monokuma:** [Happy, arms by side] Welp, thank you all for participating in our little motive… 

 

**Gradual Talent Removal Syndrome!**

 

_ Any conversation that had been happening suddenly stopped as Monokuma said the word “Talent.” No one knew what he meant. _

 

**Natsuka:** … Excuse me?

 

**Monokuma:** Ahh, you heard me,  **Gradual Talent Removal Syndrome.** It’s not like it’s an actual disease or anything, it’s just a fun word for it!

 

**Chishiko:** [Shocked, eyes wide]

 

[Starry-eyed, leaning forward] Wooooaaaaah~!! That’s super coool!!

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Hands on hips] Hm… what do you mean by “Gradual?”

 

**Monokuma:** [Hand to mouth] Well… basically, you’re not gonna lose your talents immediately, that’d be boring. The Flashback Gun didn’t actually do much aside from plant the weed to root in your memory, now it’s just gotta grow!

 

**Chishiko:** [Serious expression] So, to lull us into a false sense of security, you used a delayed effect instead of an immediate one, bringing our hopes up, and therefore increasing our despair when it all comes crashing down. I guess that’s what I should’ve expected.

 

[Starry-eyed, hands by head] Woaaah~!! That’s like, hella sadistic~! I’m Impressed~!

 

**Miyako:** [Sweating, thinking pose] P-please hold one one second, what about the ones with more ph-physical talents, like the Dancer or the Ogre?

 

Though you could remove the Dancer’s knowledge of dancing, I highly doubt you could remove his muscle memory and physical abilities, or the Ogre’s size and strength.

 

**Monokuma:** [Sinister] … Well, Miyako, just so you know… 

 

[Laidback, hand behind back] I dunno! Maybe, UPUPUPU!

 

**Miyako:** [Disgusted, hands tensing up]

 

**Shiori:** [Panicking, hands on head] W-W-WAIT!! W-WITHOUT MY SECRETARY TALENT I-I-I’M B-BASICALLY WORTHLESS!!

 

[Crying, panicking] EEEEEEEEEEE!!

 

**Aiko:** [Eyes wide in shock] … 

 

**Katsuo:** [Rubbing arm, shocked] … N-no… no…

 

**Yui:** [Wide-eyed] …

 

[Arms crossed] W-well then… that sucks.

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Glaring] Monokuma, how did you even get the technology to do this?!

 

**Monokuma:** … Shrug!

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Clenching fist] Don’t just say “shrug” and then run o-

 

_ And then Monokuma disappeared. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ As I lay in my bed that night, I stared at the wallpaper above me and wondered what would happen to me? Would I die? Survive? Kill? Be killed? I didn’t know. I had no idea what the future would hold and it was all I could think about. No matter how hard I tried to go away from that topic, my thoughts always looped back… somehow. Like a merry-go-round from hell. _

 

_ I looked at the flowers on the wall. It took me a second to remember what kind it was. _

 

_ It was an Aster. _

 

**____ **

**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**PART 2** **  
****END** **  
** **__**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. that happened. lol.
> 
> http://www.strawpoll.me/14181610  
> FOR FTES!  
> idk what else to say here just like read


	16. [3] Daily Life: Stand in the Dark and Open Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natsuka explores a lot of things. The mall, her classmates, and her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT AN ACTUAL UPDATE HOLY DICKS  
> sorry for being a bitch and waiting like 2 months to update lol, i've been doing a thing the cool kids call "the stress and depression"  
> anyways-  
> \--  
> HEAVY CW FOR PARENTAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE  
> i don't recall any others, though

**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**PART 3**

**START**

**\--**

_ As always, I woke up with a weight in my chest and an unwillingness to get up. The morning announcement played, but that didn’t really matter, since I normally wake up before 7 AM. _

 

_ Just the day before I was told that my talent, the one thing that made me different from everyone else, would be taken away. It wouldn’t be gone in an instant, I’d be able to feel it drain from my body like a cool tar running down my legs and spilling onto the ground. _

 

_ Nevertheless, I persisted; I opened the door and walked out. _

 

**Shiori:** [Happy, hands together] Th-there you are!

 

**Natsuka:** AAAH!

 

_ I fell through the open door and landed on my back in my room. _

 

**Shiori:** [Clutching binder to chest] O-oh jeez!! I-I’m so sorry Ms. Hino! You didn’t deserve that a-at all!! Are you hurt?!?!

 

D-do you want me to do your homework!? O-or spy on someone?!

 

**Natsuka:** It would be my absolute pleasure for you to do literally none of that.

 

**Shiori:** [Saluting] O-okay! I-I’ll make sure to stop breathing for you! T-that counts as nothing!

 

**Natsuka:** … Okay, not that either. Please, god.

 

_ I pushed myself up before Shiori could take my hand. _

 

**Natsuka:** Why are you even here, though? What do you want?

 

**Shiori:** [Awkward, hands behind back] W-well… I had an idea I thought would be good!

 

**Natsuka:** Ok… is that it? Tell me the idea.

 

**Shiori:** O-oh, yes, right, that… Uhhh…

 

H-have you noticed there was a pool o-on the second floor?

 

**Natsuka:** Yes. I have.

 

**Shiori:** [Gentle determination, fist lightly balled] W-well, after we finish exploring the new floor, I-I wanna get everyone there so w-we can have fun!

 

I-I don’t want anyone else to think they can’t have fun if they don’t have a talent! Normal kids do it all the time!

 

**Natsuka:** Where would we even get swimsuits? Killer Cuts is all just other student’s outfits.

 

**Shiori:** [Happy, hands together] A-ah! There are actually a b-bunch of different swimsuits inside the different locker rooms, a-and in the Bullseye, if you need something to c-cover up more!

 

_ Fuck. I don’t have an excuse anymore. _

 

**Natsuka:** Uh… sure, I’ll come. I guess.

 

**Shiori:** [Happy] E-excellent! I promise it won’t be a disappointment, Ms. Hino!

 

**Natsuka:** Good.

 

**Shiori:** P-please come. I don’t want more than 1 person to not be there.

 

**Natsuka:** Why that number specifically?

 

**Shiori:** [Awkward, looking away] … 

 

S-so there’s no chance of any… deaths.

 

**Natsuka:** … Huh.

 

**Shiori:** [Fiddling with fingers] Y-yeah… yeah.

 

_ Shiori was honestly the last person I’d expect to acknowledge the possibility that there  _ **_may_ ** _ be someone planning to murder again. The only exception would probably be Ren. _

 

_ We stayed in silence for a moment before she quietly turned her back to me and walked away. _

 

_ After that I guessed I should probably get to the new floor. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ The new floor was formatted the same as the other floors, but the first thing I noticed wasn’t anything new, it was something old. _

 

**Natsuka:** It’s still there… 

 

_ The dome full of the 12 Flashback Guns was still on the 3rd floor. Did Monokuma forget to remove it or something? _

 

**Monokuma:** [Laidback, hand behind head] NOPE!!! This was totally intentional!

 

**Natsuka:** GAAAAAHH!

 

**Monokuma:** [Neutral] Yeezus. Calm ya tiddies fuckhead.

 

[Hands over mouth] Woops! Soz, forgot you don’t have any! LOL.

 

[Confused, hand on chin] Now- uhh, what was her name again? Misty? The suspender girl with water stuff- Now  _ SHE  _ had a rack! 

 

**Natsuka: Die.**

 

**Monokuma:** [Hands over mouth] Upupupu! Sorry honey I’ve tried several times and I’ve never been able to!

 

**Natsuka:** Just- UGH, whatever- why is the dome still here?

 

**Monokuma:** [Neutral] Huh? Well I thought that was obvious. It was never supposed to leave.

 

**Natsuka:** Okay, sure, but  _ why?  _

 

**Monokuma:** Well to let you bastards see what happens when 12 hormonal teenagers are equipped with memory removing guns and forced to kill each other.

[Laidback, hand behind head] Ya might get shot so many times you’ll just go braindead!

 

**Natsuka:** … What? No. We’re not doing that.

 

**Monokuma:** [Angry] Are you reeaally so sure about that? Huh? HUH!?

 

**Natsuka:** Of course not! That’s why I’m  _ trying _ to be!

 

**Monokuma:** Try harder fuckface!

 

_ And with that he just went away. Like always. God, that never ceases to be absolutely infuriating. _

 

**Natsuka:** UUUGH.   
  


_ I groaned and walked towards my first destination. Meaning, the first thing I saw. _

 

_ It was a weird gray-tinted store with a lot of techie looking items in it, like it was from an 80s Sci-Fi movie about being yourself or whatever. It was called  _ **_“Radio Cabin.”_ **

 

**Ren:** [Bending over, visor hand] Woah, check it out! They’ve got a game console here! It’s super old but I think it’ll do.

 

**Natsuka:** Oh, great, we can play  _ Super Pally-O Sisters 18  _ while we slowly die. Great.

 

**Ren:** [Awkward smile] That isn’t even remotely what it’s called. At all.

 

**Natsuka:** I’ve never played a video game, dumbass.

 

**Ren:** I could guess.

 

**Natsuka:** Why do we have a game console anyway? Doesn’t Monokuma  _ not  _ want us to have even the smallest semblance of fun?

 

**Ren:** [Thinking pose] Yeah, about that, we still don’t have any cartridges for it.

 

**Natsuka:** … Cartridges?

 

**Ren:** … 

You… You need cartridges to do the thing. Dude.

 

**Natsuka:** … 

 

**Ren:** [Awkward smile] We’ve… I’ve literally heard you reference internet ligo and shit before… how… did you literally just forget what a friggin’ cartridge was? Just… how?

 

**Natsuka:** U-Uh… 

 

_ I investigated the shelves to avoid any further awkwardness. They were absolutely covered in tech based things, like headphones and batteries. We still didn’t have a laptop there, so those were useless. _

 

_ … What is that? _

 

_ My hands almost moved on their own to investigate more. I realized something after that… _

 

**Natsuka:** Is this a silencer?

 

**Monokuma:** [Laidback, hand behind head] YEP YEP! THAT’S MY ALL NEW FLASHBACK SILENCER!

 

**Natsuka:** AAH!

 

_ My fight or flight reflex kicked in, I threw the silencer at Monokuma, but it only hit the floor next to him. Thank god. No matter how much I want to, I’m not planning on dying thanks to a cartoon demon bear. _

 

**Monokuma:** WOAHWOAHWOAHWOAHWOAH TAKE IT EASY THERE PAL! IT’S JUST A MURDER BEAR!

 

**Ren:** [Confrontational, pointing up] You’re not even the  **good** kind of bear! You’re just boring!

 

**Monokuma:** [Flustered, sweating] W-woah… bruh… that’s kinda gay… 

 

**Ren:** Aw shut your whore mouth, dickbug!

 

**Natsuka:** God- None of this matters, what the hell is a Flashback Silencer?

 

**Monokuma:** [Head tilted] Well… 

Remember how there was that big bang when y’all were shootin’ yourselves in the head?

 

**Natsuka:** The noise it made? Yes. I remember that.

 

 **Monokuma:** [Neutral pose] It makes that thing not happen.

[Laidback, arm behind head] Plus we’ve got  **sooooo** many different Flashback Modifiers too!

 

**Natsuka:** … Pardon?

 

**Monokuma:** [Showing black side] We’ve got  **Flashback Amplifiers** ,  **Flashback Sniping Attachments** ,  **Flashback Shotgun Attachments** , even  **Traumatic Flashback Chips!**

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

**Ren:** [Sweating bullets, arms hanging down] … 

 

**Natsuka:** W-what the fuck.

Don’t the Flashback Guns get  _ rid  _ of memories? W-why would you have a… Traumatic Flashback chip?

 

**Monokuma:** [Neutral pose] They can.

 

**Natsuka:** What?

 

**Monokuma:** Sometimes they can get rid of memories, but if you mess with em enough, you can make people  **relive past memories** , **alter existing ones** ,  **even add new ones entirely.**

 

 **Ren:** [Confused] So y-you’re basically just giving teenagers the power to **control memories?** What the hell?! My dude that is _totally_ uncool!

 

**Monokuma:** Yeah. I know. That’s why I’m doing it.

 

_ And with that he disappeared. _

 

**Natsuka:** … 

 

**Ren:** …

Well. That sucked.

 

**Natsuka:** Don’t you even dare.

 

**Ren:** [Confused] Wait what?! What’d I even do?!

 

**Natsuka:** God. Are you braindead? Stop talking, it’d be better for the future of the world.

 

_ As I left the store, I noticed Ren had a worried expression on him. _

 

 _My eyes were immediately assaulted by what had to be the most ugly shade of yellow the world had ever seen. On top a_ ** _magenta_** _background_ _no less. The store had two front doors, one for entering and one for exiting. It actually looked like the sign was split in half between a candyland aesthetic and a dudebro one, the place was even called “_ ** _Candyland Smackdown_** _”._

 

_ Needless to say, I knew exactly who would be in there. _

 

 **Aiko:** [Clasping hands, starry-eyed] OH!! Hey Nats!

 

**Natsuka:** … Nats?

 

**Aiko:** Yeah, cute, isn’t it?

 

**Natsuka:** That… sounds like an insect.

 

**Aiko:** [Weary, wavering frown] A-and? Bugs are adorable… 

 

_ … You are literally the last person I expected to have an interest in bugs. _

 

**Aiko:** [Arms behind back] Well, whatever your nickname is gonna be doesn’t have anything to do with this store, it’s super weird.

 

**Natsuka:** I noticed the sign. The aesthetic in here seems… fairly Candyland, not much Smackdown.

 

**Aiko:** [Eyes wide]  …    
Was that an actual, non sarcastic joke coming from you?

 

**Natsuka:** Sure. Totally.

 

**Aiko:** Oh, NVM.

 

_ I decided to investigate the Candyland section. It… definitely sold candy, at first glance, there didn’t seem to be much wrong at first glance. _

 

_ … Isn’t this candy supposed to be banned because it was too hot? I’ve never heard of most of these A lot of these have Monokuma’s face on them, for some reason. _

 

_ Is this some  _ **_experimental candy shop?_ ** _ On the shelf there were a variety of different candies with different chemicals and apparent “Effects” _

 

_ Weight Loss Chocolate, Insect Repellant Gum, Protein Lollipops… This is… strange. _

 

**Natsuka:** I feel like I’ve walked into a certain purple-suited man’s factory.

This place feels… offensive. The fact they’re selling “Weight Loss Chocolate” is making me wonder if Monokuma has a soul.

 

**Aiko:** [Feminine hand gesture] What’s wrong with that? It’s helping people get the bod they want, I don’t see the problem.

 

**Natsuka:** Aiko. You don’t eat fucking chocolate to get “the bod you want.” You eat chocolate to feel your taste buds give off a pleasurable effect.

Weight loss chocolate is kind of a disgrace to chocolate. Full offense.

 

**Aiko:** ...

Dear God, you’re a chocolate nerd.

[Hand over heart, looking right] I mean, in the store’s defense, there’s like,  **the other side of the store** to worry about.

 

**Natsuka:** What?   
  


_ I glanced around and noticed that there was a wooden door on the other side of the room. _

 

**Natsuka:** I’ll investigate that.

 

**Aiko:** [Looking into pocket mirror] Ooof course you will.

 

_ On the other side of the door was… a bunch of sports equipment. Football helmets, soccer balls, hockey sticks and barbells and the like. _

 

**Natsuka:** Dear god, don’t we already have a gym?

 

**Ota:** [Scratching chin] Uh, actually, there’s a super big difference, dude.

 

**Natsuka:** JEEZ-US!! WHERE DID YOU EVEN COME FROM?!

 

**Ota:** GAH! S-SORRY, FUCK!

 

**Natsuka:** God- It’s fine!

Just- explain, I guess. Go ahead.

 

**Ota:** [Hand on chin] Uh… well, a gym is like, for like, uh… workin’ out n’ stuff. You work out there n’ pay it for a membership. Usually lift weights or do cardio.

Sporting Goods Stores are like… stuff you use to do that… but at home. Plus at home sports or school clubs n’ shit. Athletes use both, but usually kids just use the stores.

 

**Natsuka:** Wow. That was simultaneously entirely idiotic and actually intelligent. I’m proud of you. Gold star, friend.

 

_ Instead of my usual monotone sarcasm my brain decided to swap to the catty, annoying sarcasm for a second. I’ll never know why it does that. _

 

**Ota:** [Smiling, glancing right] Pfft, fuck you dude.

 

_ … Well he took that well. _

 

_ I started to look around the room. This was probably the Smackdown part of “Candyland Smackdown.” _

 

_ Come to think of it…  _

 

**Natsuka:** Why in the hell would you put a candy store and a sports store right next to each other? Plus you have to get through the candy store to even be inside the Smackdown section… 

 

**Ota:** [Deep thought, crossing arms] Yeah… that’s basically a recipe for disaster.

 

**Natsuka:** Despair, I guess? I have no clue.

 

**Ota:** Yeah, that would be pretty despairful… or like, however ya say that.

 

**Natsuka:** Good job, I’d expect you to know.

 

**Ota:** [Laughing, hand on head] Aw-  _ fuuck  _ you dude!

 

_ You’ve already said that, dumbass. _

 

_ Let’s see what there is here, they have things like Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Golf Clubs, Football Helmets, Baseball Gloves, Mitts, basically anything you’d need to start out playing any major sport. _

 

**Natsuka:** This place is boring, I need to explore the rest of the floor.

 

_ I walked out of the Smackdown Section and the Candyland section, successfully exiting the store. Yay. _

 

_ Joy. Another gray store. Its sign was unimpressive and boring, it just said  _ **_“Chemical Kingdom.”_ **

 

_ The inside of the store was… boring. Just shelves and bottles. _

 

_ This is probably some kind of chemical lab. _

 

_ … _

 

_ Genius, Natsuka, Chemical Kingdom is a chemical lab. _

 

_ Inside were Shiori and Kiyoshi. _

 

**Shiori:** [Holding binder over chest] W-wow! This place is so cool!

 

**Natsuka:** Yes, it  _ totally  _ doesn’t scream “Future Murder Weapon” at all.

 

**Shiori:** [Sad, looking away] … 

 

**Kiyoshi:** [Smug smirk] Natsuka Hino, friend to all.

 

**Natsuka:** Hang yourself with your metrosexual scarf.

 

**Kiyoshi:** You’ll strangle me with it first.

 

**Natsuka:** God damn right I will.

 

**Shiori:** [Overwhelmed, shouting] D-DON’T DO ANY OF THAT!

 

**Natsuka:** Su- … Yes. I won’t.

 

_ I investigated the room further. It looked like a store for overpriced smartphones, but instead of smartphones, there were chemicals and experiments. _

 

_ Freezing Chemicals, Poisons, highly flammable explosives… this is definitely something that Monokuma would prepare.  _

 

_ Aside from some numbing medicine or some sleep inducing pills, everything here seems like it’s at least… unsafe. It’s basically a murder factory. _

 

**Kiyoshi:** We should probably hide these. This is an… exceedingly effective way to commit murder.   
  
**Shiori:** [Defensive pose, arms flailing] W-WHAT!? O-Oh jeez oh jeez I never thought about that!!

QUICKLY!! MR. ARITA!! HIDE THE CHEMICALS IN YOUR S-SCARF!!!

 

**Kiyoshi:** No.

 

**Shiori:** O-okay… 

 

_ What a sad way to back down…  _

 

_ Surprisingly, that’s about it for this store. I went back to the hall and went to the next store. _

 

_ … Oh. That is… unadulteratedly punk. Dear God. It’s a … Music Place.  _ **_“Seven Souls Music Venue.”_ **

 

_ I feel more Goth than I’ve ever felt before in my… entire life. _

 

_ Miyako and Tsubasa were in the room, there was a stage, several instruments, and a backroom. All with a horrible gothic aesthetic, of course the goth and the dancer would be in a gothic music venue. _

 

**Miyako:** Oh me oh my! This place is such a wonder!

 

**Tsubasa:** [Rolling eyes] Oh of  _ course  _ you’d say that.

 

**Miyako:** [Arms crossed, cheeks puffed] What is that supposed to imply?

 

**Tsubasa:** Oh, nothing, just that you’re so goth it  _ physically  _ hurts.

 

**Miyako:** Ah! Thank you, Dancer.

 

_ I don’t think I’ve seen them talk before. Strange. _

 

_ I investigated the room, flipping random switches and trying to make myself look professional while doing so. After I switched one on a podium, a bar holding the lights on them moved down. _

 

**Natsuka:** Hm… The lights can move down.

 

**Tsubasa:** [Annoyed] They… sure can, buckaroo. That is definitely what they just did.

 

**Natsuka:** Don’t be a dick.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Arms crossed, rolling eyes] Hearing that from you strikes _deep._ Deeper than your bullshit, in fact, and that’s deep.

 

**Miyako:** [Clasped hands under chin] Don’t be rude, darling.

 

**Tsubasa:** Fuck off, possibly?

 

**Miyako:** [Hand on heart] *Sigh*

 

_ Ignoring the idiots, I glanced around the rest of the store. _

 

_ … There’s a piano backstage. _

 

_ I shouldn’t play that right now. That’s a dumb idea. _

 

_ Okay, what else? There’s an air vent… that seems far too big to be a normal air vent. _

 

**Miyako:** Do you think it was expanded for the sake of murder?   
  


**Natsuka:** … 

What?

 

**Miyako:** [Tranquil, thinking] Well, it is a fairly common trope. A cold blooded murderer going in through the vents to their intended victim… 

[Holding shoulders, shaken] Oh! How chilling, don’t you think?

 

**Tsubasa:** … I have anxiety now. Thanks for that.

 

**Natsuka:** Maybe don’t do that.

 

_ Ugh, this store is basically just a music place but blacker. It’s horrid. _

 

_ I decided to walk out and go to the  _ **_next_ ** _ store. _

 

_ … What is this? Is this a fucking aquarium? It’s an aquarium, but why would that even be in here? It doesn’t even have a name. _

 

**Yui:** [Hands clasped, starry eyed] Fiish… Fishies… 

 

**Chishiko:** [Arms spread out] Fishy fish! Blublublub Blub!

 

_ It seems the cat girls with pigtails have gathered in the location with the most fish. _

 

**Chishiko:** [Leaning right] Ohhhh!! Heeeey Natsy!

 

**Natsuka:** I’ll slit your throat if you call me that again.

 

**Chishiko:** [Energetic, fist pumping] Haha! Classic Natsy!

 

_ Ugh. I’ll ignore the neko fetish fuel and investigate the area. I subconsciously ran my hands along the glass wall, and then I noticed something. _

 

_ Oh, dear fucking god. _

 

There was a hole in the aquarium that led to a tube on the inside that stopped abruptly. On the right there was a red button, painted around it were several arrows and a label that just said  **“PRESS HERE TO PUT ITEM INSIDE WATER.”**

 

_ Obviously, this was referring to a dead body. _

 

_ That’s likely everything that’s important in this store. Dear God. I speed walked out, ignoring Chishiko and Yui’s “Blubs” _

 

_ Next store…  _

 

_ This location had no real sign indicating the name, but the inside looked a bit like what I imagine the 1920’s in America were like. I walked in and I definitely wasn’t proven wrong. _ __  
__  
**Natsuka:** Is this a… bar?

Why the hell is there a bar in a mall? I understand if Monokuma made some alterations to the other stores, but…

Did he legitimately install an entire bar for no obvious reason?

 

**Monokuma:** [Angry, lunging forward] NO!!! I DIDN’T!!! AAAAAAA

 

**Natsuka:** GYAAAAH!!

 

**Monokuma:** Shut ya shit sissy!

I’m gonna explain why the hell there’s a bar here.

 

**Natsuka:** … Erm… go on?

 

**Monokuma:** [Neutral pose] So, basically-

Sometimes, when I’m bored, I make rooms fit people’s talents.

 

**Natsuka:** … We’re slowly losing those right now. Why would you put talent-based rooms on the floor where we’re supposed to lose them?

 

**Monokuma:** [Unsheathing claws] HHGGRGHGHGH!! HHHHHRG!!! I JUST STARTED MOTHERFUCKER! LET! ME! FINISH!!!

 

**Natsuka:** GH-!!

 

**Monokuma:** Okay, I was  _ gonna  _ give you the sick Mono-Meta, but I’ll just summarize it, since you’re a fickle fuckle.

 

**Natsuka:** … Mono-Meta?

 

**Monokuma:** I thought that giant-rack chick Misty or whatevah would survive until  _ at least  _ when this floor was revealed, so I put a bar here.

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

**Monokuma:** Yeah. How fucked is that?

 

**Natsuka:** Die.

 

**Monokuma:** [Hands over chest, shocked] GWAAAHCGHG!!!! I’M BEING THREATENED BY… A STUDENT! AA!!

 

**Natsuka:** No matter what it takes, by the time I get out of here, I will have killed whoever’s controlling you.

Take that as a promise.

 

**Monokuma:** [Clutching chest, blushing] W-woah… I’m being sucked in by your gothic badassery! Someone call Jesus! I need holy water to keep being a good christian girl!

 

**Natsuka:** No.

 

**Monokuma:** WAAAGH!! So… cool!

 

_ I walked out of the store frustrated and hastily, my arms swinging at my sides. _

 

_ I walked towards the next store with determination and placed my handle on the golden doorknob. The door was white and it’s window was translucent, complete with a painted white cross on it. The plaque on the door said “Mr. Monokuma.” It was a closed door, and was very small for a… mall. _

 

_ Inside the store was just as confusing. There was a collection of medical equipment and such, but that was it. It was just your average infirmary. I walked out feeling a bit strange. Why would Monokuma add an infirmary to this? _

_  
_ _ I walked down to the food court. _

\--

 

_ After waiting for a while and eating my healthy nutritious breakfast, I saw Shiori come up to me. _

 

**Shiori:** [Hands behind back] U-uh, Ms. Hino? Everyone’s at the pool now, w-we can start.

 

**Natsuka:** … 

Fine, let’s go.

 

_ Shiori led me to the changing room- where Ren, Miyako and Yui were. _

 

**Ren:** [Shrugging, rolling eyes] Okay- listen! I can just sit out! It’s totally fine!

 

**Miyako:** [Cheeks puffed, hands tensing] It is  _ not  _ fine! This is unfair to you!

 

**Ren:** My dude, it’s fair if I say it’s fair!

 

**Miyako:** *Sigh*. That is like saying that dying an early death is fine just because you’re suicidal! It’s not!

 

**Ren:** … It’s… it’s literally a pool party, dude.

 

**Natsuka:** Oh dear God- What’s going on?

 

**Miyako:** [Hands on heart, weary] Ren is willing to sit out of the get-together, as his ID still recognizes him as female.

 

**Ren:** [Exasperated, hand on head]  **I** keep telling her that I can sit out, but she’s not letting me!

 

**Miyako:** The Servant specifically requested that every student attends this gathering!

 

**Natsuka:** Ugh, calm down. We’ll just get one of the boys to open the door for Ren and it’ll all be fine.

 

**Ren:** See, we  _ tried _ that, but Monokuma showed up  _ with a fucking gun _ and threatened to kill me if I went in.

 

**Natsuka:** UGH.

 

**Shiori:** [Adjusting glasses] U-uh, I think that we should probably find a way around this!

 

**Miyako:** We have been doing that, Servant. We can’t figure out a loophole.

 

**Natsuka:** Okay, fine, we’ll just leave him out then.

 

**Miyako:** [Thinking] But the Devil has yet to come, and, the Servant specifically requested…

 

**Shiori:** [Awkward, hands together] I-I don’t… want more than 1 person to miss this, yes.

 

**Natsuka:** And Chishiko would be the most likely to kill someone. Of course.

 

_ I put my hand to my forehead and rubbed my temples, we were about to give up when someone else walked in. _

 

**Chishiko:** [Waving] Helloo boys~! Guess who’s here!

 

**Natsuka:** Chishiko?

 

**Chishiko:** [Thumbing at self] That’s right! It’s ya girl, Chish!

 

**Ren:** Literally never say that again please.

 

**Chishiko:** Don’t worry~! Don’t worry, I just have some other things to say to you guys~!

 

**Natsuka:** What the hell do you want to show us?

 

**Chishiko:** Well… 

 

_ Chishiko folded out some flat objects from her hands like they were cards. _

 

[CG: Chishiko has IDs!]

 

**Chishiko:** Voila, ils! Identificación del estudiante! 彼らの聖なる栄光を見よ！あなたはこれほど素晴らしいことはありません！

 

**Natsuka:** Can you stop switching languages- Whatever! What are those?

 

**Chishiko:** Hmmm… Well, they’re IDs!

 

**Miyako:** … Where did you… get those?

 

**Chishiko:** LOL! I’m not tellin’ youuuu!!

 

**Ren:** Whatever, why did you bring those?

 

**Chishiko:** Well, I had a  _ magnitude  _ of reasons, FOR YOU SE-

 

**Miyako:** I shan’t falter until you tell me where you acquired them.

 

[CG: Chishiko gets more awkward]

 

**Chishiko:** Weeell, lemme j-

 

**Natsuka:** What were you doing? You had no business stealing people’s IDs.

 

[CG: Chishiko sweats with an extremely awkward smile]

 

**Chishiko:** Well if y-you just let me EXPLAIN then-

 

**Natsuka:** Then  _ explain. _

 

[CG: END]

 

**Chishiko:** [Rolling eyes, hand on hip] Allllright! So ya know how Ren isn’t a legal dude yet?

 

**Ren:** [Exasperated, hand on face] YES! We get it, you fucking furry, why are you mentioning this?

 

**Chishiko:** [Smiling wide, hands folded] Well, well well well…

They’re the dead male student’s handbooks.

 

_ Chishiko maneuvered her fingers to press the “ON” buttons on each of them, flashing two names on the screens. _

 

+KUUKIKO KAWAKAMI+

 

+ROUKI HASAGAWA+

 

**Chishiko:** Notice the cross symbols on the sides. Looks like once you die, you get one of those on your ID!

 

**Miyako:** [Worried] Where did you… acquire those?

 

**Chishiko:** [Leaning forward, menacing eyes] Why should I tell you, you piece of shit she-dog whore?

 

**Miyako:** [Looking away] … 

 

**Chishiko:** Well, ignoring the twenty one pilots reject, which flavor do ya want, bud? Blue fuckwad or Pink fuckwad?

 

**Ren:** I thought you liked Kuukiko, though…

Whatever, just… gimme his.

 

**Chishiko:** Aalllrighty~! One Kuuk, comin’ right up!

 

_ Chishiko tossed the ID into Ren’s arms, which he almost stumbled on. After a brief moment of hesitation, Ren scanned Kuukiko’s ID into the door, which immediately opened. _

 

**Ren:** [Fist pumping] Hell yeah! Gender: Hacked! I’m in!

 

**Miyako:** [Wiping sweat from brow] Finally, I can join the others.

 

**Chishiko:** …

Well don’t feel the need to fuckin’ thank me, ya shitwipes!

 

_ I ignored Chishiko’s suddenly boston-esque ramblings and scanned my ID into the girl’s door.  _

 

*Fwoosh!*

 

_ It opened immediately and I walked in. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ So began the worst possible outcome, it was a fucking locker room. Half of the girls there were already half naked. Back in middle school, I used to hide in the showers to change, so that’s what I did. I had picked out a swimming dress from Bullseye on my way down from the 3rd floor. After changing from a naked ball of awkwardness and fear into a  _ **_clothed_ ** _ pile of awkwardness and fear, I headed for the actual pool. _

 

_ … God, why are all of the girls here so cute? This is state-sanctioned torture. _

 

**Aiko:** [Swimsuit, looking at nails] Oh, I feel ya sister.

 

**Natsuka:** … What?

 

**Aiko:** Your face is more expressive than you think it is, *chuckle*.

 

**Natsuka:** … Ugh. What do you want?

 

**Aiko:** … To hang out? Duh? Is that, like, bad or something?

Just two gals bein’ pals, nahsayin’?

 

**Natsuka:** Never utter the phrase “Gals being pals” with your sinful mouth ever again.

 

**Aiko:** [Worried glance, hand on chin] Okay! Damn! Dear fuckin’ god.

 

**Natsuka:** Ugh, whatever. This is going to be horrible anyways. Let’s just get it over with and keep being useless.

 

**Aiko:** …

Why are you always so depressed, Nats? Are you okay?

 

**Natsuka:** …

I have depression. I’ve been diagnosed by a professional and I’ve had a psychiatrist since I was 12. Is that a good enough answer?

 

**Aiko:** [Nervous] O-oh… sorry, Nats, I didn’t know.

 

**Natsuka:** It’s fine, Aiko. I don’t expect you to be able to have a… mental disorder radar or something.

 

_ I decided not to mention the  _ **_other_ ** _ things wrong with me, since I already took a gamble just mentioning one. Aiko and I walked towards the pool. _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ [CG: The kids are having fun at the pool!] _

 

_ We both sat on the edge of the pool, I did because I didn’t feel like swimming, and Aiko did because she probably didn’t want to get her hair wet. We… were kind of acting like normal high school students. _

 

_ Normal students without talents. They go to school, have bad subjects, friends, bad hair days. We were almost… average. Normally half of us would go pale at the thought of just being normal, but right now it felt… decent. Not necessarily good or bad, but it wasn’t as awful as any of us had imagined. _

 

**Natsuka:** … Do you know where Daichi is?

 

**Aiko:** Uh… no, actually. I dunno where he is… He’s probably not dead, though, so that’s a plus!

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

**Aiko:** Aheh… yeah that was in bad taste.

 

**Natsuka:** Speaking of Daichi… what do you think he looks like under his armor?

 

**Aiko:** Uh… I dunno. I mean… I’d assume he’s pretty buff, I guess?

 

**Natsuka:** I was under the impression that he’d be fairly skinny.

 

**Aiko:** Nats, he wears fuckin’ armor. Of course he’s not skinny.

 

**Natsuka:** Are you sure?

 

**Aiko:** … Probably?

 

**Natsuka:** Hmm… 

 

 **Aiko:** [Deep thought, serious expression] What _does he look like, even?_

 

**Natsuka:** Hang on… Ota’s gone too.

 

**Aiko:** [Surprised, turning to Natsuka] Oh shit- really? I didn’t notice.

 

**Natsuka:** How did you not notice? He’s the biggest one here.

 

**Aiko:** I’m not exactly a fuckin’ honors student here!

 

_ A boy in a swimming shirt walked over to us, I immediately recognized who it was. _

 

**Ren:** Yeah… I didn’t see either of ‘em in the changing room, but I didn’t check the showers, so… 

 

_ I decided it would be a good idea to keep my dumb fucking mouth shut. Do not mention a single thing. At all. Whatsoever. _

 

**Natsuka:** Let’s go then.

 

**Ren:** Go? What?

 

**Natsuka:** Let’s go make sure they aren’t… dead.

 

**Aiko:** … 

Tact, Nats.

 

**Natsuka:** Tact is for weaklings.

 

_ I walked to the boy’s locker room door on the other side of the pool. _

 

_ [CG: The screen goes black] _

 

_ I reached for the door when I was inexplicably hit with a supernatural fear. Like if I touched that door knob I’d immediately die or some other false, scared reasoning. _

 

_ And that’s when it happened… it was so sudden. So unexpected… _

 

_ And yet it was expected at the same time.  _

 

_ … _

 

_ …  _

 

**Enthusiastic Voice:** HAHAAA!

 

_ The door slammed open and I fell directly on the ground. _

 

[CG: Daichi and Ota in their swimsuits!]

 

_ Daichi came out of the locker room in a wetsuit. He had pulled a skin-tight black mask-like thing over his face and covered his feet with water shoes, leaving only his hands uncovered. They were naturally a darker tone, but they were pale… _

 

_ Fuck. He was super buff. I had lost the unspoken monetary bet between Aiko and I. We didn’t even have currency in this place but whatever. _

 

_ Standing behind him was Ota, who was much more predictable. He wore indigo swimming trunks, which weren’t much to write on. They had white stripes. His body looked like I had expected it to, very soft, but I could definitely tell there was something to back it all up. _

 

**Ren:** Oh! Good! You’re both not dead! I’m glad!

 

**Chishiko:** Woaahh, Tubby got a boyfriend! Finally! Glad this one doesn’t have an affinity for wires and dumbbells!

Wait a sec… Daichi buddy, do you have a bondage ki-

 

**Ota:** Shut your dick! Ain’t like that! … 

 

**Tsubasa:** [Hand on head] Why did you guys take so long? We were starting to get kinda worried.

 

**Daichi:** Oh, I just had trouble changing my wetsuit, so I asked Sir Oguro for help!

 

_ Daichi looked at me when he said that. I tried to smile, but my face would only contort into different variations of “you thirsty motherfucker.” _

 

**Shiori:** W-well… it’s good that you’re not… uh, dead.

 

**Daichi:** Yes! Yes, it very much is! Death is bad!

 

**Kiyoshi:** Yes. We know. We’re in this situation, it’d be worrying if we didn’t know.

 

**Ren:** Yo haha wowww buzzkill dude. Haha.

 

_ I went back with Aiko and Ren to talk and not get our hair wet, though Ren did occasionally go underwater. _

 

[CG: Natsuka, Aiko and Ren are hanging out.]

 

\--

 

_ Aiko, Ren and I decided to turn the conversation to the other students. _

 

**Aiko:** So, like, y’now something I’ve noticed?

 

**Ren:** Yes, I’m a friggin’ psychic- of  _ course  _ I don’t know!

 

**Natsuka:** Stop being so dramatic. Whatever, tell us.

 

**Aiko:** Okay, so like, barring Otie-

 

**Natsuka:** Otie?

 

**Aiko:** Ota. Barring him, like, everyone looks way skinnier with their clothes on.

 

**Ren:** Isn’t that a thing that happens? That’s definitely not a weird thing.

 

**Aiko:** I fucking  _ know that  _ you… fuckwipe, but it’s like, super noticable with this class!

 

**Ren:** WHERE?!

 

**Aiko:** Lookit Shiori! She has  _ way  _ more muscle mass than you’d expect a friggin’ secretary to have!

 

**Ren:** She spends half her fucking life doing _ manual labor  _ for the entire class! Did you expect her to be like an anime maid or whatever?!

 

**Aiko:** I dunno, did you expect the friggin’ ballet dancer to be a dude!?

 

**Natsuka:** Tsubasa does apply to your “they look skinnier without clothes” rule. Doesn’t he?

 

**Aiko:** … Not really? You can tell he’s not, like, skinny even if he has a shirt on, but it’s just a little more obvious with it off.

 

**Ren:** Isn’t he supposed to be a dancer? Aren’t they all slim and graceful and whatever?

 

**Aiko:** Don’t make me dropkick you too. Those aren’t  _ required,  _ just, like, y’know. Useful.

 

**Natsuka:** Are you a dancer as well?

 

**Aiko:** What? Oh, hell no, I’m clumsy as shit.

Tsubasa tried to teach me some stuff during our  **8:30 Meetings,** but I was always a wreck.

 

**Natsuka:** Your what?

 

**Aiko:** We meet up every 8:30 PM to just like, discuss shit.

 

**Ren:** How suspicious… are you, mayhaps, planning a-

 

**Aiko:** Don’t you say it-   
  


**Ren:** SURPRISE PARTY! FOR ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

 

**Aiko:** … Oh.

 

_ We continued to talk until the party eventually ended. There wasn’t anything really eventful, some people were too awkward to even exist. _

 

\--

 

_ Shiori told us something important after the pool party ended. _

 

**Shiori:** S-so… I believe that each night we should have a m-meeting! S-so we can make sure everyone’s there… this counted as one, so we’ll have another one in the food court tomorrow at… 9:50 PM!

 

_ Everyone was too tired to argue, so we all went to our rooms to sleep, since it was night. _

\--

 

_ It had almost become tradition for me to not be able to sleep. I was far too tired to sleep, so I’d decided to go for a walk around the mall. _

 

_ The lights had been shut off, since it was night time, but it seemed very… homely. Somehow. _

 

_ As I reached the 3rd floor, though, I heard voices coming from the bar. _

 

**Extremely Deep Man’s Voice:** U-um… it’s wetter than I expected.

 

**Mildly Whiny Woman’s Voice:** Oh shut up, the wetter the better, babe!

 

**Extremely Deep Man’s Voice:** Should we even be doing this…? It seems kind of wrong…

 

**Mildly Whiny Woman’s Voice:** Nothing’s wrong with embracing how you feel! You need to stop repressing yourself and just  _ take it! _

 

**Extremely Deep Man’s Voice:** Y-yeah… I’m gonna do it.

 

_ WHAT THE FUCK. _

 

_ Ignoring literally every part of my mind, body, and spirit telling me not to acknowledge what was going on, I forced my legs to move to the scene in question. _

 

_ … Oh. That… that’s happening. _

 

[CG: Aiko paints Ota’s nails.]

 

**Aiko:** _ HONESTLY  _ I can’t believe how much of a fucking idiot you were when I asked to do this before.

 

**Ota:** … Shut up. I can admit… they look pretty now.

 

**Aiko:** Well  _ of course  _ they look pretty, I’m doing them!

 

**Ota:** Be humble, Aiks.

 

**Aiko:** Oh, sorry Otie!

 

_ … _

 

_ They’re talking to each other like they’re a couple. _

 

_ But I know for a fact that at least one of them has NO interest in the opposite sex. _

 

_ WHAT HAPPENED? _

 

_ I stared at the two in abject horror from behind a wall, listening to their banter and feeling death aproach me. _

 

 _It had to have been a long time, I was half asleep and I barely noticed Aiko looking at me._ __  
__  
**Aiko:** [Hand on hip, wavering smile] … Nats. How long have you been there?

 

_ I emerged from beyond the gate and walked towards the two. _

 

**Natsuka:** …

It has to be around 45 minutes.

 

**Aiko:** … 

 

**Ota:** [Covering hands] … 

 

**Aiko:** That’s very, very creepy.

 

**Natsuka:** I couldn’t sleep.

 

**Aiko:** I DON’T STALK PEOPLE WHEN I’M SLEEP DEPRIVED, NATS.

 

**Natsuka:** Well I… guess I cope differently than you.

 

**Aiko:** [Rubbing temples] Okay- whatever, the nails’re like, done anyway, so like… I’ll fuckin’ go now.   
  


_ Aiko walked off, her mary-janes clacked on the ground and into the darkness, leaving only Ota and I. _

 

**Ota:** [Crossing arms, looking away] …

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

**Ota:** Do you… d-do you think he’ll hate me?

 

**Natsuka:** Excuse me?

 

**Ota:** [Fearful smile, hand on back of neck] It’s just that I… I’m changin’ a lot… and I don’t think he’d like all of it…

 

**Natsuka:** Slow down, who’s the ‘he’ you’re referring to?

 

**Ota:** Uh… my dad.

 

**Natsuka:** Well, what was he like? I’ve never met the madman so I can’t exactly say if he’ll still love you if you’re kissing men and getting keratin paintjobs. 

 

**Ota:** … He really wanted me to be a man. He wanted me to be… perfect, in his eyes.

I-I feel like I’m… betraying him… I’m going against him.

 

**Natsuka:** That’s absurd.

 

**Ota:** [Eyes wide] Oh, really-?

 

**Natsuka:** _ Of course  _ you’re betraying him. You should  _ want  _ to spite him. He sounds absolutely awful.

 

**Ota:** [Surprised expression] … 

 

**Natsuka:** A man who promotes toxic masculinity like that- and to their own kid, no less- doesn’t deserve your empathy. You have a lot, but give it to other people.

 

**Ota:** [Furrowed brows] …

A-are you sayin’ you  _ want  _ him to hate me?

 

**Natsuka:** What?

 

**Ota:** Natsuka, he’s the  _ only one I have left  _ I- I  **can’t** afford to lose him… 

 

**Natsuka:** Ota. He’s forcing you into boxes that you don’t want to be in. Throw him in the trash.

 

**Ota:** I  **CAN’T** JUST FUCKIN’ THROW HIM AWAY LIKE THAT! He’s…  **He’s my family!**

 

**Natsuka:** He isn’t! You don’t have to call someone who raised you  _ family!  _

 

**Ota:** WELL  **WHAT ELSE** IS FAMILY SUPPOSED TO FUCKIN’ MEAN!?

 

_ His voice was so loud and intimidating that I felt like running away. My knees were trembling. _

 

**Natsuka:** I-it… it means the people you care about- truly, care about.

 

**Ota:** … No,  **he’s all I have,** f-family is… you need to put it FIRST!

 

**Natsuka:** The original version of “blood is thicker than water” i-is actually…

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Y-you don’t have to think he’s  **worth a shit** just because you have his blood.

 

**Ota:** [Absolutely livid, holding back] …  **SHUT. UP.**

 

**Natsuka:** No, you’re being  _ unreasonable! _

 

**Ota:** NO,  **YOU ARE!** WHY DON’T YOU FUCKIN’ UNDERSTAND THAT I  **HAVE** TO SHOW HIM RESPECT OR I’M NOT GONNA BE WORTH ANYTHING TO HIM!?

 

**Natsuka:** Y-you… you shouldn’t have to feel like that, Ota.

I’ve gone through things like you have too… 

 

**Ota:** Yo-You don’t understand  **shit.**

 

**Natsuka:** No… you don’t get how much I understand you.

 

**Ota:** Then WHY can’t you understand the  **most basic fuckin’ principle of family!?**

 

**Natsuka:** B-Because it’s  _ not true, Ota! _

You’re being a dumbass!

 

**Ota:** [Somehow angrier]  **Dumbass? I’LL SHOW YOU DUMBASS, BITCH!**

 

_ Ota grabbed a bottle from the counter beside him… _

 

_ And raised it above the ground. _

_  
_ _ I could hear it shatter as I fell onto the floor with a thump, cowering. _

 

_ But Ota had never swung the bottle. _

 

_ Of course, I didn’t realize that… _

 

_ Because I wasn’t there. _

_  
_ _ I wasn’t even in the same time as my body was. _

 

\--

 

_ My brain ejected itself from the current situation and took me back to when I was 9 years old. _

 

[CG: A woman cooks dinner, while a black-haired girl in green clothes stands next to a vase.]

 

_ I remembered the smell of curry and my mother’s messy, bunned hair. I remembered the feeling of the warmth that came from the oven which made me sweat underneath my layers of clothing. _

 

_ But most of all, I remembered her. _

 

**Black-Haired Girl:** Moom, let me go outside already!

 

**Bun Woman:** I’ve told you to call me “Ma’am” a million times, Natsuka! At least try and show me some respect.

And I’m not going to let you out until you finish your homework! That’s been a rule for years!

 

**Natsuka:** … Ma’am, I wanna go see the flowers!

 

_ Michiko Hino. My mother, so she was called. _

 

**Michiko:** Stop whining. You need to finish your homework, Natsuka, I’ll let you outside once you’ve done that, and I’ll check it too, so don’t you dare think I’ll let you by with a B!

You have so much more potential than that, sweetie.

 

**Natsuka:** Ma’am, the other girls promised to help me find a flower I’ve been looking for for so long! It’s so pretty, don’t you think you could at least let me go this once?

 

**Michiko:** I’m not letting you go out until you finish your homework, Natsuka. If you keep acting like this, I’m not letting you out period.

 

**Natsuka:** But I’ve only got one question left, and it’s extra credit!

 

**Michiko:** Natsuka Yunru Hino, what don’t you understand about  _ every  _ question!? I swear, sometimes I think I’m wrong about you having potential.

 

_ Despite it being so long ago, I could remember the burning hatred in my chest boiling up so much that I just had to do something. I looked to the vase to the right of me and knew what I wanted to do. _

 

_ The 9-year-old me took her hand on the back of the vase and pushed it off the podium. _

 

_ Michiko’s entire body went rigid when she heard the vase crash upon the ground. She turned to look at me like I was the most horrific thing she could imagine.  _

 

[CG: Michiko turns to Natsuka, she’s angry.]

 

**Michiko:** …  **You little shit.**

 

_ I had begun to cower in fear, I didn’t even realize I had. _

 

**Natsuka:** M-mom- I-I’m sorry I-!

 

**Michiko:** Do you  **realize** how long that took to make?! How much it cost to get it made for us?!

 

**Natsuka:** I-I didn’t mean it, mom! I-I’m sorry! Sorry!

 

**Michiko:** STOP APOLOGIZING! You use that word so much that it’s becoming god damned white noise at this point!

 

**Natsuka:** B-but I’m r-really really sorry I-

 

**Michiko:** GOD, you’re so annoying! Stop just repeating that over and over!

 

**Natsuka:** B-but… but-!

 

**Michiko:** Ugh…

 

_ Michiko had grabbed a bottle from beside her…   _

 

_ … and brought it over her head. _

 

**Michiko: SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPP!!**

 

_ I could hear it shatter as I squealed and my body thudded onto the floor, cowering. _

_ Michiko had swung the bottle, and I remembered that oh so clearly. _

 

_ And my trip back in time was finally over. _

 

\--

 

_ When I woke up, I was quietly sobbing in the corner, my hands held my legs to my chest like chains. Ota was sitting by me with tears in his eyes.  _

 

_ I caught myself muttering to thin air. _

 

**Natsuka:** B-but I’m really really sorry… mom… 

 

_ I shut myself up immediately. _

 

**Ota:** … 

I-I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… 

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

_ I couldn’t bring my voice to yell at him. It was too hard. _

 

**Natsuka:** …

 

_ Ota wrapped his arms around me. I could feel him shake. _

 

**Ota:** G-God I’m s-such a dumbass.. I’m an idiot… 

 

_ It seemed like such a hopeless situation, that night. We both cried for what seemed like years. _

 

_ But I didn’t know that it hadn’t gotten to it’s worst yet. _

 

_ Yet in that hopeless situation… _

 

_ There was a single spark of hope. _

 

**CHAPTER 3** **  
****STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES** **  
****PART 3** **  
****END** **  
** **___**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm Dead Inside Todd This Chapter Stole My Children Ate my DOg And Burned MY Crops
> 
> we're gonna have a Daichi FTE and a Shiori FTE next update, since they got the most votes last time. hopefully i'm not focusing on aiko too much.
> 
> Anyways, who do you think the victims are gonna be? Vote here!
> 
> Killer  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/14588266
> 
> Victims  
> http://www.strawpoll.me/14588263


	17. [4] Daily Life: Stand in the Dark and Open Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which death finds its way into Despair Mall once more...  
> Or twice more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so dead inside da yo  
> CW FOR PARENTAL ABUSE MENTION!  
> this is probably one of my favorite chapters so far, since chapter 3 is by far the most developed case out of them all  
> iM SO EXCITED!!

**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES** **  
** **PART 4**

 **START** **  
** **\--**

 

_I couldn’t remember when I had gotten into bed, but I had, and the morning announcement played._

 

 **Monokuma:** Hello hello my… dear… fellow… precious…? Whatever, just get up, I’m boreda this routine!

 

_I got up and realized I was still in my morning clothes. My eyes still felt puffy, but I ignored that and headed for the door, going to the food court._

 

_\--_

 

_I was enjoying a nice, quiet breakfast with my anxiety until I heard a loud thud by the chair next to me. I glanced over with annoyance in my eyes._

 

 **Ota:** [Friendly] Ay, what’s up?

 

 **Natsuka:** …

Why are you sitting next to me?

 

 **Ota:** Uh… cuz we’re cool now. Right, Nats?

 

 **Natsuka:** And when did you start calling me that?

 

 **Ota:** Since… last night? We’re like, bonded by the trauma or… whatever.

 

 **Natsuka:** Whatever. I’m too tired to argue.

 

 **Ota:** [Confused] So that’s… a yes?

 

 **Natsuka:** … Sure. Whatever.

 

_Ota’s trademark locker room stench didn’t help my appetite at all. He smelled like cheap cologne and pit sweat. Clearly he’d forgotten to take a shower since his “makeover.”_

 

 **Natsuka:** Take a shower.

 

 **Ota:** [Cocking up eyebrow] Hm?

 

 **Natsuka:** We have showers in our rooms, you have literally no excuse to smell that bad.

 

 **Ota:** [Fist on jaw] … Wow, Nats. Rude.

 

 **Natsuka:** A night of crying doesn’t suddenly take all of the abhorrent bitch out of me, Ota.

 

 **Ota:** …

You’re… you’re not that bad.

 

 **Natsuka:** Stop lying.

I know for a fact that I’m the worst person here.

 

 **Ota:** …

 

_Ota kept trying to initiate conversation with me throughout the entire breakfast. He failed._

 

_I had literally nothing to do, so I just decided that I would walk around the mall until I passed out. I was looking at my feet when I heard a very loud voice._

 

 **Shiori:** GYAAAA!! D-Don’t come in here, Ms. Hino!!

 

 **Natsuka:** AAAAA!!

 

 **Shiori:** [Arms wide] I-I’m blocking all entrance to this store until further notice!

 

 **Natsuka:** …

It’s the fucking Radio Cabin.

 

 **Shiori:** [Fiddling with hair] Y-yes, but there are still s-several highly dangerous items! If you were to combine them with the Flashback Guns, y-you could seriously injure someone’s memory!

 

 **Natsuka:** Do you honestly think someone’s going to kill someone with a gun in an enclosed fucking space with 11 other people? Are you dense?

 

 **Shiori:** [Arms wide] S-still! It’s better than nothing! I need to contribute to something here, even if I don’t have my talent!

 

 **Natsuka:** Even if you don’t- what?

 

_… Oh. The talent removal. I’d blocked that out of my memory since yesterday._

 

 **Shiori:** Y-yeah… I’ve found myself getting more and more forgetful… I-I forget to write things down- a-and I- I forget what people like and don’t like…

I f-forgot Mr. Arita h-hated soft drinks a-and I forgot that Ms. Kajiwara is autistic-

 

 **Natsuka:** Yui’s autistic?

 

 **Shiori:** [Index fingers together] Um… yes, h-have you noticed that she has some trouble w-with empathy?

 

 **Natsuka:** Obviously, she tried to kill one of our classmates.

 

 **Shiori:** … P-PLEASE DON’T REMIND ME OF THAT!

 

_Okay, fine, Jesus Christ._

 

 **Natsuka:** … You seem stressed.

 

 **Shiori:** Of course I-I am! We’re trapped in this situation a-and I’m losing the only thing that makes me worth anything!

[Overwhelmed] EEEEE! E-everything’s crashing and burning and dying and aaaaHh!!

 

 **Natsuka:** Can you physically relax for more than 5 minutes? Seriously?

It’s honestly worrying how on edge you are _legitimately all of the fucking time._

 

 **Shiori:** O-oh… s-sorry… *Sniff*

 

_She’s an actual wreck… I’d hate to leave her like this…_

 

[Spend time with Shiori?]

 

→ **Yes**

→ No

 

 **Natsuka:** Whatever. I can’t bear to see you like this. I’m taking you to get something to eat.

 

 **Shiori:** W-waaah?! Y-you would be so kind as to get me something to eat?! You would waste y-your time on me?!

M-Ms. Hino, you truly are a god among men!

 

_What the fuck._

 

 **Natsuka:** Whatever. We’re getting Ice cream, probably at the Food Court.

 

 **Shiori:** [Pleased, hands together] That’s absolutely amazing! You’re amazing! E-everything is amazing!

 

_I feel like something is wrong with this girl._

 

_We walked down together and into the food court, where we had some ice cream, I talked about why mint is the best flavor. She agreed, despite having a cup of strawberry._

 

 **Shiori:** [Pleasant, hands together] Waa… That was amazing…

I a-almost feel like I have a talent again…

 

 **Natsuka:** Can you stop lamenting your lack of talent for 3 seconds? You’re to one who organized the pool party in the first place.

 

 **Shiori:** [Nervous] W-well, yes, but that was more for t-the others r-rather than me…

I-I’m a special case…

 

 **Natsuka:** I highly doubt that.

 

 **Shiori:** N-no! Really!

T-to me, my talent is my identity.

 

 **Natsuka:** That goes for all of us, you’re not special.

 

 **Shiori:** I-I don’t think you understand…

For all of m-my life, I’ve been taught this one special thing by e-everyone and everything around me…

T-the ones who can’t help others are ultimately worthless.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Shiori:** I-I can tell. You’re a-a bit taken aback. It’s very u-unsettling, but it’s the honest truth.

N-no one cares about you if you’re a self-centered person. If you’re screaming for help, t-they won’t, because you’ve never helped them.  
It’s the nature of people.

 

 **Natsuka:** That’s… surprisingly nihilistic for someone like you.

 

 **Shiori:** [Embarrassed] W-well… I-I only s-say it because it’s t-true…

 

 **Natsuka:** I do agree with you, though, most people wouldn’t do a single thing for someone who’s never done anything.

I think that’s why no one felt sorry for Kuukiko.

 

 **Shiori:** Y-yes… that’s exactly why.

W-while he deserved respect as a person, Kuukiko w-was very self-centered…

I-I can’t r-really blame people for hating him…

 

 **Natsuka:** *Sigh* …

We’ve already lost 4 people.

 

 **Shiori:** [Looking down] …

 

 **Natsuka:** … Who’s going to be next?

 

 **Shiori:** H-huh?

 

 **Natsuka:** … 2 people have already killed someone. 2 people have commited murder to get out, or to kill a traitor or to… save someone.

We can’t stop it, so all we can do is just wonder who’s next…

 

 **Shiori:** … J-jeez, Ms. Hino… That’s so sad…

 

 **Natsuka:** _AND?_ Our entire fucking situation is sad.

We’re the most revered, venerated High School students in the goddamn _country_ and we’re being controlled by a cartoon demon bear and forced to kill each other.

And the best part? We’re _actually doing it._ We’re killing each other because this calamitous bear has our darkest secrets and our entire life story! Hell, he even has control over our talents! How fun is that?

Do you remember what happened during last trial? When Chishiko showed my motive pad?  
_Every single little thing in it was entirely accurate._ It was like I was telling the whole, grand story!

 

_I took a bite of my ice cream and leaned my head on my hand, propping my elbow on the table._

 

 **Natsuka:** We can’t do anything.

We’re totally trapped here with people who are going to kill us…

I know I’ll be a victim soon enough.

 

 **Shiori:** [Looking to side] …

I-I highly doubt that, Ms. Hino.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Shiori:** T-though I don’t think y-you believe it, you are not a self-centered person.

Y-you just… don’t show it very often.

 

 **Natsuka:** How do you know?

How do you know what my personality is like?

 

 **Shiori:** W-well… you have something that n-no self-centered person has.

 

[What do I have that no self-centered person has?]

 

→ **Self loathing**

→ Extreme anxiety issues

→ Will to improve yourself

 

 **Natsuka:** Is it my… extreme amount of self loathing? Because I have a _magnitude_ of that.

 

 **Shiori:** N-no! O-of course not! W-well, y-you may have that, b-but that’s not what I-I’m talking about!

D-dig deeper than that!

 

[What do I have that no self-centered person has?]

 

→ X

→ **Extreme anxiety issues**

→ Will to improve yourself

 

 **Natsuka:** Okay, what about my _extreme_ anxiety issues? How about that?

 

 **Shiori:** [Cheeks puffed] O-oh come on! Tons of self-centered people have anxiety!

 

_Okay, what else?_

 

[What do I have that no self-centered person has?]

 

→ X

→ X

→ **I can’t think of anything else**

 

 **Natsuka:** I don’t know.

 

 **Shiori:** W-what?

 

 **Natsuka:** I _said_ I don’t know. I have no idea. Tell me so I can refute it already.

 

 **Shiori:** You’re constantly trying to improve yourself.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

… I’m sorry, what?

 

 **Shiori:** [Fingers pushed together] W-well, I can tell y-you’re always trying to make y-yourself a better person… y-you don’t want to b-be the same way you are now in a year…

A-and I think that’s a very admirable trait.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Shiori:** [Pleasant smile] A-are you s-silent b-because you know I’m right? I-I can’t really tell, s-since I can’t use my secretary talent right now…

 

 **Natsuka:** I don’t agree with you, just know that.

 

 **Shiori:** O-of course you don’t! N-no one likes having their secrets revealed, b-but you asked…

[Embarassed] S-so…

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s not a secret, it’s just blatantly wrong.

 

 **Shiori:** [Thinking] Well, s-seeing how you r-reacted, I-I think you know it’s truuuee!

Haha! I-I still have some inkling of my talent left!

 

 **Natsuka:** … Your talent is psychoanalyzing?

 

 **Shiori:** [Hands at waist] Mmm… I-I think so?

T-to help someone, I need t-to figure out how their brain works… I-it makes it much easier.

 

 **Natsuka:** … I would assume so, yes.

 

 **Shiori:** [‘Got it’ expression] L-like right now, you’re hiding how scared you are!

Y-you set up that rant before to make it seem like y-you were just angry about the whole thing…

B-but y-your tone and facial expressions totally betrayed that idea.

 

 **Natsuka:** What?

 

 **Shiori:** [Thinking] S-so the only other explanation I-I could come up with w-was…

[Serious expression] Fear.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Shiori:** W-wow!! Thank you M-Ms. Hino! I-I still have some of my t-talent left!

N-now I can go back to guarding that awful store! Thank you!

 

_Shiori ran off after that, I didn’t try to stop her._

 

\--

 

_As I was sitting in my room, trying to memorize some different flowers so my talent didn’t escape me, I heard a ringing on my doorbell…_

 

 **Natsuka:** AAGH!

 

_And yet again, fell out of my chair._

 

 **Proper Loud Voice:** ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE, MAIDEN HINO?

 

 **Natsuka:** E-erm… yes, I’m fine!

 

 **Proper Loud Voice:** Amazing! Take your time in getting to the door, young Maiden, you mustn’t injure yourself for my sake!

 

 **Natsuka:** Christ… okay, fine.

 

_I got up and moved to the door, opening it up. I saw the towering frame of Daichi in front of me._

 

 **Daichi:** [Waving] Greetings!

 

 **Natsuka:** … Hello, Daichi.

 

 **Daichi:** [Hand on chin] Would it be too much of a hassle for me to join you in your room for a bit?

 

 **Natsuka:** That’d be fine… I guess?

 

 **Daichi:** EXQUISITE! I would like it for you to allow me to sit on your floor for the time being. Is that alright?

 

 **Natsuka:** Sure. Whatever.

 

_Daichi sat on my floor, trying to figure out what kind of flowers I was looking at before I could. Maybe he was helping, but he could’ve been trying to start a competition._

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Daichi:** …

 

 **Natsuka:** So…

 

 **Daichi:** Hm?

 

 **Natsuka:** Why are you here?

 

 **Daichi:** Why do ask that?

 

 **Natsuka:** Just- answer it.

 

 **Daichi:** [Calm, arms crossed] … Very well then!

I have come to discuss… some issues with you.

 

 **Natsuka:** What?

 

 **Daichi:** Sir Oguro has informed me of the events that happened last night, and I think it would be best if we didn’t let you sulk in sadness.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Christ, why do you think you can help?

 

 **Daichi:** [Pointing up] Ah, because I surely can!

Do you not remember what I told you?

 

 **Natsuka:** … No, what?

 

 **Daichi:** I could tell that you are not exactly the most… familially centered individual around, that was fairly easy.

[Worried] But I would just like to make you feel better, in all honesty…

 

 **Natsuka:** … Why the hell do you think you can do that? Again, there’s nothing you can do.

 

 **Daichi:** [Pointing] I doubt that severely!

 

 **Natsuka:** Ugh… fine, do your best.

 

 **Daichi:** Gladly, Maiden Hino!

… So, as I’ve explained before, I did not have the best family li-

 

 **Natsuka:** Wait.

 

 **Daichi:** [Worried] U-uh… what is it?

 

 **Natsuka:** How did you know that I have… family problems?

 

 **Daichi:** [Hand on chin] Well, Sir Oguro informed me that you mumbled something about your mother in your… thing. I simply assumed, since we’ve talked about them before-

Anyways!

 

 **Natsuka:** Fine, go on.

 

 **Daichi:** I am much like you, Maiden Hino, I do not enjoy my family much as well…

So… I simply wished to tell you that you are not alone in the world.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Daichi:** … I was raised by my parents and my grandparents, as well as my twin brother, Kogen.

We were wealthy and prosperous… but.

[Hand on head] We were not happy.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Is…

Is what they did to you why you wear that armor?

 

 **Daichi:** [Hugging arms] …

… Yes.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Okay, go on.

 

 **Daichi:** Well.. my family is very traditional. They believe that their children should be adept in combat.

They… _attempted_ to train Kogen, but he was very anxious- and still is- so that was...a lost cause.

So I was the only one left.

 

 **Natsuka:** What exactly does this… “training” entail?

 

 **Daichi:** …

 

[What does this “training” entail?]

 

→ Additional schooling.

→ Dutiful studying.

→ **Dueling with swords.**

 

 **Natsuka:** … Did you duel someone with… swords, or something?

 

 **Daichi:** [Nervous] Y-yes. That is exactly what I was forced to do, I was to duel with my father… a lot. Every day.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Are you okay?

 

 **Daichi:** [Waving, anxious] E-erm, vaguely, yes!

I- erm… I think it’d be better for me to just show you.

 

_Daichi motioned for his gauntlet and pulled it off._

 

 **Natsuka:** …

Oh.

 

 **Daichi:** Yes, that’s a very expected reaction.

 

_His hand and forearm was absolutely covered in scars, like they had been sitting there for a while, a series of white lines like snakes on his skin._

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Daichi:** This is… well, this is what happened…

My entire body is covered in scars like these.

 

 **Natsuka:** …

 

 **Daichi:** It was all because of how I was treated.

… Fortunately, around that time, I discovered ancient europe in a book I was reading, and I became intrigued.

I started to forge my own swords, and started winning duels more often… But by that point, I could barely face anyone that was not my brother.

 

 **Natsuka:** Oh my god- are you okay?

 

 **Daichi:** … I can barely look at anyone without my armor as of now.

 

_Slowly and sadly, Daichi slipped his gauntlet back into the cloth holding of his forearm._

 

 **Natsuka:** … I’m sorry.

 

 **Daichi:** Do not apologize! You have done nothing wrong!

The blame is all thrust upon my mother and father… and my grandparents.

You mustn’t feel blame for my family’s shortcomings!

 

 **Natsuka:** That’s not the type of sorry I’m talking about.

I’m talking about the type of sorry that is… “I’m sorry that happened to you” instead of “I’m sorry I did that to you.”

They’re different.

 

 **Daichi:** [Pointing] You are not obligated to feel either, Maiden Hino!

 

 **Natsuka:** … But I do.

… Just because I don’t have to do something doesn’t mean that I can’t- or shouldn’t.

 

 **Daichi:** Yes, that is very true…

But you should not be forced to feel sorry for someone like me!

 

 **Natsuka:** … You’re someone that I’ll feel sorry for over most of the others, Daichi.

 

 **Daichi:** [Genuine shock] Huh?

 

 **Natsuka:** You’re loud, annoying, and kind of dense, but…

You’re also one of the most genuinely kind and selfless people I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around.

I don’t think this situation would be anywhere near as bearable without you in it… so…

Thank you.

 

 **Daichi:** [Neutral] …

*Sniff* … T-thank you.

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s really no problem, I was just… saying how I felt.

You deserve much more praise than you get… even if I can’t help but tack on some insults on top of that.

It’s just… me being an abhorrent bitch.

 

 **Daichi:** [Pointing] YOU ARE NOT AN ABHORRENT… B WORD!

You are simply a bit more, erm… blunt, than most other people.

 

 **Natsuka:** Stop sugarcoating it. You know that I’m the worst person left.

 

 **Daichi:** EVERYONE HERE IS AMAZING AND I LOVE THEM!!

 

 **Natsuka:** *Sigh*

You don’t have to lie. I can tell that everyone here hates me. It’s not something you should try to fix.

 

 **Daichi:** [Hand on chin] …

Perhaps it is you who is lying to yourself?

 

 **Natsuka:** What?

 

 **Daichi:** You might just want to believe that you are a terrible person because of your… past experiences.

I-I know that is similar to what happened to me, so I would not put it past you to want to think that.

 

 **Natsuka:** … I-I guess? Maybe?

Look, I don’t know what _else_ is wrong with me… maybe that’s… maybe that’s it? I don’t…

 

 **Daichi:** You are blaming yourself again! DO NOT DO THAT!

 

 **Natsuka:** …

I’ll _try_ not to, okay? I will… attempt to not be such an-

 

 **Daichi:** [Fist at jaw] *COUGH*

 

 **Natsuka:** … Such a… **blunt** individual.

Are you happy now?

 

 **Daichi:** Yes, yes, very much so.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Good.

 

_Daichi and I talked for a long time after that. I feel like we’d become… friends. Not that that actually means anything. Everyone is Daichi’s friend aside from the people who hate him, and even they’re kind of his friend._

 

_It still felt nice, though._

 

\--

 

_Later in the day, Shiori had come up to me._

 

 **Shiori:** H-HEY!! M-MS. HINO!

 

 **Natsuka:** JESUS CHRIST- O-oh. Oh.

 

 **Shiori:** M-Ms. Hino! I-I have a-absolutely crucial news Ms. Hino!

 

 **Natsuka:** Ugh- what is it?

 

 **Shiori:** W-well u-uhhh… uhh…

O-oh, yes! That’s it!

 

 **Natsuka:** … Out with it.

 

_So much for being less of a blunt individual._

 

 **Shiori:** Ms. Hibarayashi has organized a meeting in the food court! She seems to want to tell us something very important!

 

 **Natsuka:** Oh what would _Aiko_ have to tell us that’s actually important? She’s a nice girl, but her idea of important is probably the _Blush_ running out of fucking lipstick.

 

 **Shiori:** [Clutching binder to chest] E-erm…

She specifically asked for me to get you first… I-I think that she thinks you really want to know what she’s going to say.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Ugh, sure, when’s this meeting?

 

 **Shiori:** [Hands at waist] Right now.

 

_I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance._

 

 **Natsuka:** _Fine._ Take me there.

 

 **Shiori:** [Smiling] O-of course, Ms. Hino!

 

_Shiori walked me to the food court, shakily, as usual._

\--

 

_Aiko was sitting on a table when we got there, she was swinging her legs absentmindedly._

 

 **Natsuka:** Aiko- what the hell did you so badly want to tell me?

 

 **Aiko:** [Winking peace sign~] Haha! You’ll just hafta wait and seeeEEEeeE!

 

 **Natsuka:** …

For as nice a girl as you are, you are _extremely_ unpleasant at times such as these.

 

 **Aiko:** [Checking nails] Oh, I know, but, like, I feel like it’d be best if I told everyone at the same time.

 

 **Natsuka:** … This must be really important, then.

 

 **Aiko:** I mean, like, I’d say so? I dunno what you think is important though…

 

 **Natsuka:** In a fucking _murder game_ I think all of our priorities are fairly goddamn similar! Haha!

 

 **Aiko:** …

Well, yeah, but you don't hafta be a bitch about it.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Sorry.

 

 **Aiko:** [Looking into pocket mirror] It’s chill, after all I’m definitely the resident _expert_ of bitchiness.

 

 **Natsuka:** I doubt that.

 

\--

 

_Eventually, Shiori gathered everyone left in the Food Court._

 

 **Chishiko:** [Dismissive] Ugh, you interrupted my freaking movie night for this! God, you’re insufferable, just get it over with so I can watch pokemon!

 

 **Kiyoshi:** … _You_ watch pokemon?

Seriously? Your entire talent is basically just those childish beasts but in reality, and you still watch it?

 

 **Chishiko:** [Dramatic pointing] IT’S A GOOD FUCKING SHOW, KYOSH!

 

 **Ota:** U-uhh… guys, we gotta listen t’ what Aiks’s gotta say.

 

 **Chishiko:** I will- just say that legibly first~!

 

 **Ota:** U-Um…  We have to l-listen to… what Aiko… has… to say.

 

 **Chishiko:** Wow! Good job you fat hog-bitch! You have a braain!!

 

 **Miyako:** [Hand on forehead] That is rude even for you…

 

 **Chishiko:** Shut it, you boring whore. That dress won’t make you any less uninteresting~!

 

 **Katsuo:** Good lord… She’s really angry.

 

 **Aiko:** Ugh, just shut her dumb ass up before I dropick her.

 

 **Tsubasa:** [Arms crossed] Would you prefer strangulation or getting Ota to punch her out?

 

 **Aiko:** Either or.

 

 **Chishiko:** [Terrified] O-okay! Jeez! Y-you bastards are so brutal!

 

 **Yui:** Great. Now we can get this over with…

 

 **Shiori:** P-please, c-could everyone p-please be quiet?

 

 **Aiko:** Ugh, let me handle this-

[Intense, very open mouth] EVERYBODY SHUT IT!

 

_Aiko’s voice made the entire food court go quiet._

 

 **Aiko:** Now, let’s just, like, do this.

I’m planning on doing **something very important.**

 

 **Natsuka:** … Which is?

 

 **Aiko:** [Crossed arms] I’m getting to that.

This is going to sound fuckin’ crazy, but…

 

_Aiko paused and glanced around at us. She looked smug._

 

 **Aiko:** I’m going to perform a _ritual._

 

 **Ota:** … Huh?

 

 **Daichi:** WHAAAAAAAAT?! Rituals are against some form of law, Maiden Hibarayashi!

 

 **Aiko:** It’s a very, very special ritual which allows you to get in touch with the spirits of the dead…

I need a good room to do it in, but I’m not actually sure where I’ll do it in, but it should be around night time, so I won’t be able to come to the meeting or whatever.

 

 **Kiyoshi:** [Looking down upon thou] You’re an idiot.

Even if your delusions of power had any basis in reality, your talent as Ultimate Occultist has little to no meaning now, since we’re all losing our talents.

And if this is actually something that you’re capable of doing, then why didn’t you do it earlier? We’ve been in this killing game for, what, a week? A week and a half?

You should have done this much earlier if you were actually planning on doing it.

 

 **Aiko:** [Shocked] … U-uhh…

W-WELL! Allow me to ex-explain…

 

 **Kiyoshi:** [Smirking] Oh this should be good.

 

 **Aiko:** W-well, s-since we’re not entirely devoid of talent, I can still technically do occultic things! It’ll just be harder…

A-and! I couldn’t have done this ritual earlier!

 

 **Ren:** … Really? Why?

That’s honestly kind of dumb.

 

 **Aiko:** BECAUSE WE WEREN’T HIGH ENOUGH YET!

 

 **Ren:** [Scratching head] A-and… that’s somehow stupider.

 

 **Aiko:** [Smiling awkwardly] To get in contact with spirits, we need to be high enough up to even reach the afterlife!

I couldn’t have done it on the 2nd floor- or the 1st, because we weren’t high enough up yet!

 

 **Kiyoshi:** … That’s still stupid, but whatever, you do whatever.

 

 **Tsubasa:** That makes perfect sense, shut up.

 

 **Natsuka:** … Who a-are you planning on talking to?

 

 **Yui:** [Hands on heart] U-uhh… c-could you please t-talk t-

 

 **Aiko:** [Checking nails] Oh, I’m totally talking to Emizu.

 

 **Yui:** Gh…

 

_No matter how ludicrous it was, I still couldn’t help but smile a little bit._

 

 **Aiko:** … That’s basically it, so y’all can, like, go now.

 

 **Kiyoshi:** [Turning back] Yes, please, free me from this absolute idiocy.

 

 **Aiko:** [Pointing up] Fuck you too, then!

 

_After everyone else had left, only Aiko, Yui and I were left in the food court._

 

 **Yui:** …

 

 **Aiko:** …

 

 **Yui:** [Puppy eyes] C-could you please try to get in touch with Atsukenna?

 

 **Aiko:** … Okay, listen, kid, I’m sorry, but Emizu is just… More missed than her.

I get that you wanna, like, apologize to her or something, but I can only call one spirit at a time, so like, yeah.

 

 **Yui:** B-but… but I need to tell her that I-I’m sorry… I n-never got to do that.

 

 **Aiko:** [Exhausted] … Tell you what, how about you tell Emizu how sorry you are and she can promise that she’ll tell Atsukenna. How bout that?

 

 **Yui:** …

Th-there’s something that tells me that Emizu was the type of person to lie about something like that to make someone feel better. I-it wouldn’t really work as much just coming from her.

 

 **Aiko:** … Well that’s, like, all I have, so…

 

 **Natsuka:** Yui, there was always something that I wondered about you…

 

 **Yui:** … Huh?

 

 **Natsuka:** Just why did you try to kill Atsukenna?

You didn’t have much of an actual reason to, and it was so easy to just wait for a better opportunity, and you could have killed her easily.

So why did you just take a knife and tackle her?

 

 **Aiko:** … Dude.

 

 **Yui:** [Teary eyed, grabbing head] …

I-I don’t know…

 

 **Natsuka:** …

What?

 

 **Yui:** I-I dunno I-I just - I felt so so s-scared a-a-a-and I-I saw Atsukenna a-and… an’ I just f-felt fuzzy…

E-everythin’ was so fuzzy… s-so I took a k-knife a-and…

 

_I started to feel a bit scared, so I backed up._

 

 **Yui:** E-everything w-was so f-fuzzy… I-I can’t remember a-anything else- there’s just these blanks i-in my brain an’…

Wh-why don’t I remember…

Why don’t I remember?!

I just ‘member that I was so… scared… fuzzy…

BUT I DON’T KNOW WHY! W-WHY?!

WHY DID I TRY TO KILL HER?! **WHY?!**

 

 _It seemed like every emotion that Yui should have felt during the last murder suddenly appeared on her face, in her words, they just appeared and kept flowing. She was truly, utterly distressed, and she couldn’t_ **_not_ ** _show it, and as she finished talking…_

 

 **Monokuma:** Oh, cuz you heard us talking.

 

_Monokuma had appeared._

 

 **Yui:** … W-what?

 

 **Monokuma:** Well, you went out that night for… whatever, so you caught us talking about what her being a traitor means, an’ you like heard us or whatever, and _of course_ I didn’t wantcha to know she was the traitor that easy, sooo…

I took it out.

 

 **Yui:** … You _what?_

 

 **Monokuma:** [Neutral] I took out ya memory.

 

 **Yui:** [Infuriated] … y-you piece of crap… I-I NEARLY KILLED SOMEONE CUZZA THAT! A-and you just… removed it?!

 

 **Monokuma:** I took out the fat one’s memory too, but not as much, since he didn’t hear as much. I’ll show you a video if ya want!

 

 **Aiko:** W-what the fuck? Hey, what the fuck?

 

 **Natsuka:** Dear _god…_

 

 **Monokuma:** I’ll take that as a yes, right? Yeah, okay.

 

_Monokuma pulled out a tablet and extended his arms for it to reach our eye level._

 

[VIDEO]

 

_The video showcased Monokuma and Atsukenna talking in the hardware store._

 

 **Monokuma:** Okay, sooo… your first order of business as traitor is to report to me at 11 PM every night detailing the day’s events.

 

 **Atsukenna:** 11 fucking PM? Hell no! You’re already forcing me to _betray my friends_ and you want me to be awake at 11 PM!?

 

 **Monokuma:** Well, yeah, you’re the only one dumb enough to do this without any secret plans, and the only one with strong enough familial ties to blackmail ya with, soooo… yeah, basically.

 

 **Atsukenna:** … God dammit, you’re a monster.

 

 **Monokuma:** … Well, yeah, duh, I’m forcing teenagers to kill each other, that’s kinda monster material my dudeman.

 

 **Atsukenna:** Y’know, what’s fuckin’ stoppin’ me from bashing your monochrome head in right the fuck now!?

 

 **Monokuma:** Explosives.

 

 **Atsukenna:** … Goddamnit.

 

 **Yui:** … Atsukenna… what are you doing.

 

 **Atsukenna:** …

F-fuck, Yui i-it’s not what it looks like!

 

 **Yui:** … Y-you’re working with him… you’re working _against us…_ Aren’t you?

 

 **Atsukenna:** N-no- I mean… K-kinda but- I-I don’t wanna!

 

 **Yui:** You’re… you’re gonna help him…

You’re gonna help him kill us all!

 

 **Atsukenna:** N-no!

 

_Yui dashed and took a knife from the counter, and tackled Atsukenna, who barely dodged it._

 

 **Yui:** I-I NEED TO DO THIS!

I-I’M GONNA… I’M GONNA S-SAVE…

**I’M GONNA GET OUT!**

 

_Suddenly, a large, blue blob charged into Yui-_

 

_And the video ended._

 

[VIDEO END]

 

_… We were all stunned in silence, staring at Yui, who was absolutely flabbergasted at her predicament._

 

 **Monokuma:** … Well this is awkward.

See you guys later lmao

 

_I couldn’t even question how Monokuma said “lmao” out loud before he disappeared again._

 

 **Aiko:** … H-holy **shit.**

 

 **Natsuka:** W-what the hell? What was that?

 

 **Aiko:** [Shocked, near tears] H-hey, Nats? C-can we just agree to never fucking talk about this again?

 

 **Yui:** … Y-yeah…

 

 **Natsuka:** …

Yes. Y-yes I agree w-we should… I don’t think we should talk about that any time soon.

 

 **Aiko:** Okay, agreed? L-let’s just… go our separate ways and just… yeah.

 

 **Natsuka:** Yeah… yeah.

 

_After that, I walked back to my room slowly, kind of traumatized by what I saw._

 

\--

 

_As I was still learning to deal with what I saw in that video, I heard a knock on my door._

 

 **Shiori:** M-Ms. Hino! I-it’s time for the 9:50 meeting!

W-we need to make sure everyone’s okay!

 

 **Natsuka:** … Sure.

I-I’ll get up.

 

_And so I did. I walked towards the door, where Shiori lead me to the Plaza._

 

\--

 

_… Ugh._

 

 **Shiori:** U-uhh… I’ll make sure to get everyone out of their rooms, okay?

 

_I looked at a clock. 9:53 PM._

 

_Shiori got a few other people. 9:55 PM._

 

_Shiori got a few more people. 9:57 PM._

 

_Shiori got the last group of people. 9:58 PM._

 

_And then we all lined up._

 

 **Shiori:** … U-uhh… w-we’re missing Ch-chishiko and-

 

 **Chishiko:** [Dramatic pose] Calm your tits Miku! I’m here! No need to worry for my safety!

 

 **Shiori:** … Miku?

W-well, t-thank you for showing yourself, b-but we’re still missing-

 

*CLICK!*

 

_Suddenly the world I’d come to know drenched itself in darkness, plastering over my eyes with the uncertainty of the void._

 

 **Ota:** THE FUCKIN’ LIGHTS TURN OFF AT NIGHT!?

 

 **Natsuka:** Oh _you_ should know that of all people.

 

 **Shiori:** E-EVERYONE! F-FLASHLIGHTS! I-I HAVE A FLASHLIGHT! WE NEED TO SEARCH!

 

_I heard Shiori run off, dropping a flashlight on her way. I picked it up and turned it on, chasing after her._

 

 **Natsuka:** Goddamnit Shiori! What’s wrong?!

 

 **Shiori:** W-we’re missing some people!

 

_I could hear footsteps tap from behind me, clearly afraid, I could hear them talking, but it was too quiet to make out who they were… aside from a few of them._

 

 **Daichi:** EVERYONE! WE MUST STAY CALM IN THIS SITUATION! WE SHAN’T GIVE UP HOPE JUST YET!

 

 **Ota:** DUDE, YOU’RE FUCKIN’ GREAT, BUT SHUT UP?

 

 **Natsuka:** … Which people?

 

 **Shiori:** Hyiii… it’s clear on this floor, f-follow me Ms. Hino!!

 

_I reluctantly chased her to the second floor, which was similarly…_

 

 **Shiori:** A-all clear!

 

 **Natsuka:** C-could you at least get OTHER people to help?

 

 **Shiori:** N-NO!! I-I’ve caused t-them so much trouble t-today, I-I can’t do t-that again!

 

 **Natsuka:** Great fucking buddha, someone might be-! … Ugh.

 

_I’d hate to admit it, but anxiety was welling up inside my chest. It threatened to split my ribcage open._

 

_The third floor was different._

 

_It was quiet. Like someone was hiding, but was trying their absolute hardest not to make a single noise possible. It gave you that feeling._

 

 **Shiori:** M-Ms. Hino, c-could y-you please sh-

 

_I shined the flashlight through the Radio Cabin before she could answer._

 

 **Shiori:** T-thank you s-so much!

 

_The footsteps following behind me were heavy, probably one of the heavier people in the mall, but probably not Daichi, since they weren’t accompanied by the familiar clang of metal that his mere existence had. Maybe Ota._

 

 **Shiori:** O-okay, now we go to the next store!

 

 **Natsuka:** Yes. Yes we do.

 

_I just wanted to lay down at that point, but there was still a tiny part of me that thought that maybe, just maybe something bad had happened._

 

_The Candyland Smackdown was windowless, so we had to actually go inside it. I reached for one of the doors to it and pushed… then pulled._

 

 **Natsuka:** … This one’s locked.

 

 **Shiori:** [Dropping everything] LOCKED!?

 

 **Natsuka:** Ugh, there are two doors, try the other one.

 

_Shiori pulled on the door- it opened._

 

 **Shiori:** Y-you’re amazing, Ms. Hino!

 

 **Natsuka:** It’s not called being amazing, it’s called having basic reasoning skills.

 

_I didn’t even shine my flashlight through the store, since Shiori’s interest had already been captivated. I just reached for a lightswitch that wasn’t there._

 

_When I craned my head up, I froze._

 

*Drip, drop*

 

_I saw a faint outline hanging from the ceiling, coupled with the sound of something dripping from the ceiling._

 

 **Shiori:** U-uhh… Ms. Hino? T-there’s… there’s something weird about this door… T-there’s a barbell. I-it’s making it hard to get to the sports side!

 

*Drip, drop*

 

 _I grasped for my chest and nearly let go of my flashlight, praying that my eyes didn’t adjust to the light soon enough to see whatever hell might be hanging from the ceiling and_ **_dripping something._ **

 

 **Shiori:** … O-oh well, I’ll just move this myself.

 

*Drip, drop*

 

_I heard vague shifting noises and a loud *THUMP* before the creaking of a door invaded my ears._

 

 **Shiori:** …

K-k…

KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

 

_I rushed over to Shiori’s side, dropping my flashlight on its button which turned it on-_

 

_As my eyes were naturally drawn to the light of the flashlight, I noticed just who the figure hanging from the ceiling was- but that didn’t dig its way through my brain until I forced my way through Shiori to find the second hell awaiting for me in the Smackdown section…_

 

_And I stared._

 

[CG: Though they’re in different rooms, both of the bodies are discovered through the same CG, the camera travelling through the door.]

 

_…_

 

_It seemed like everything had just shut off at that moment._

 

_My hearing._

 

_My my field of vision._

 

_Everything just kept switching back and forth between the two different nightmares that stood next to each other, divided by a wall._

 

 **Ota:** I-I HEARD A SCREAM, W-WHAT’S U-

GH-?!

WHAT THE FUCK!? WHAT THE HELL’S GOI-

 

*Ding dong, bong bing!*

 

 **Monokuma:** A body has been discovered!

You have around an hour to investigate, but really, you can just do whatever you want!

Have fun! Don’t forget to enjoy the class trial!

 

_…_

 

*Ding dong, bong bing!*

 

 **Monokuma:** A body has been discovered!

You have around an hour to investigate, but really, you can just do whatever you want!

Have fun! Don’t forget to enjoy the class trial!

 

_…_

 

_No matter how much my eyes adjusted, my mind wouldn’t adjust to the reality that set it’s gaping maw before me._

 

_In the light of the flashlight, I could see the corpse of my friend._

 

_In the darkness that I had grown accustomed to…_

 

_I could see the corpse of another._

 

_The only thing that I could do with my short-circuiting brain and empty mouth was laugh._

 

_…_

 

 **Natsuka:** … H-heh… haha…

What the fuck?

 

\--

 

**AIKO HIBARAYASHI**

**ULTIMATE OCCULTIST**

**STATUS: DEAD**

**  
** **+**

 

 **KATSUO SUGAI** **  
****ULTIMATE BAKER** **  
** **STATUS: DEAD**

 

 **CHAPTER 3** **  
** **STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**PART 4**

**END**

**\--** **  
****CHAPTER 3** **  
****DEADLY LIFE** **  
** **START**

 

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gOD i hate myself!!!  
> truth be told Aiko is one of my favorite characters in the entire cast, but i really couldn't see her as a survivor  
> so i killed her  
> katsuo's death was literally because i couldn't develop him, like, at all, i couldn't find a way to do it.  
> anyways, Katsuo's pan but i never really had a reason for him to say that  
> so here are some polls!  
> \--  
> Who Killed Aiko
> 
> http://www.strawpoll.me/14688026
> 
> Who Killed Katsuo
> 
> http://www.strawpoll.me/14688025


	18. [5] Deadly Life: Stand in the Dark and Open Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone scrambles to find some semblance of evidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you guys! Sorry about being so late on this. 2018 has been a really, really eventful year. By that I mean I've been totally depressed, stressed out, and i die 12 times a day now  
> but like. 3 AND A 1/2 MONTHS!!!! that's a lot of time for an update to not come out! like holy shit?  
> I've actually been updating the older chapters if you haven't noticed. Every chapter someone dies in has a slowly decreasing group cast picture now! I've also updated the chapter 2 trial parts  
> ALSO if you notice, i've added TRUTH BULLETS this chapter!!!! ! hell fuck yeah hell  
> ALSO we have a NEW AND IMPROVED DISCORD since i didn't like the other one! it's pretty fukcing gay
> 
> https://discord.gg/u2HkCzn
> 
> see u guys in the end notes B)

**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**PART 5**

**START**

**\--**

_When my brain finally connected the dots enough to realize that I was staring at the cold, dead bodies of_ **_Katsuo Sugai, the Ultimate Baker,_ ** _and_ **_Aiko Hibarayashi, the Ultimate Occultist,_ ** _the only semi-reasonable thing that I could even begin to come up with was laughter._

 

 **NATSUKA:** H-heh. Haha… ha…

W-what the fuck?

 

 _There was nothing- absolutely nothing else that I comprehended. My surroundings were gone. My friends were in the darkness. I myself had become one with the void. I had nothing left for me but the ability to make noises with my mouth and pretend that I understood what the_ **_fuck_ ** _I was seeing._

 

 **_Two_ ** _victims?_ **_Two_ ** _of my friends, dead? That couldn’t be real, that wasn’t possible. Surely I was hallucinating one of them, Aiko or Katsuo would just come running through the door screaming about a body discovery announcement and it would just be one victim like always._

 

_That is not what happened._

 

 **OTA:** [Overwhelmed, crying] W-WHAT THE FUCK?! A-AIKS?

N-NO- This isn’t- this is- W-why?! Why her?! W-who?!

 

_I could feel him choking back sobs with every word._

 

 **SHIORI:** [Sobbing] W-why are there t-two victims!? W-why are M-Ms. Hibarayashi a-a-and M-Mr. Sugai d-dead!?

 

 **MIYAKO:** What in God’s name…

W-what happened here?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** What the hell? Why would someone kill two people? That’s freaking duuuumb!!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … I-I… I dont exactly disagree with you, b-but…  you can’t say that the killer wanted to kill two people, or that there’s just one killer, even…

 

_The entire ordeal sent my thoughts flying, like insects riding their slow, fatigued wings before dying of pesticide._

 

 _Who would be sick enough to do this? Why two? Why now? Why Aiko? Why Katsuo?_ **_Why?_ **

 

_I felt like I was going to pass out with all of these buzzing ideas that were caving their way into my skull._

 

 **TSUBASA:** HEY!! Out of the fucking _way!!_ **MOVE!**

 

_Tsubasa forced himself to the front of the group with a face full of red, eyes wide with furrowed brows…_

_  
_ _And it collapsed as soon as he saw the body._

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Eyes wide] …

… Wh- … Heh… What?

 

_All of the other screams in the room were silent to me as his white hot rage and burning sorrow were conveyed in a blank-eyed stare. His cold, blue eyes devoid of the life he had._

 

 **YUI:** K-KATSUO!!

N-no no no no… No no no… Why why why…

 

 **DAICHI:** Ghk…!

[Trembling] …

 

_Everyone in the room seemed completely overwhelmed._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Hey guys what’s going on-

Oh. Jeez. That’s… ooch. Yeah that’s a yowcher right there… god damn. That’s br-

 

 **REN:** [Disbelief, smiling] IS THIS EVEN **ALLOWED!?** ARE YOU SHITTING ME!? W-WHAT THE FUCK?!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Neutral expression] … Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

 **YUI:** O-Oh jeez… I-I think I’m gonna puke…

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Neutral expression] … **UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

 

 **MIYAKO:** C-could you please stop that?

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Unsheathing claws] **_UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_ **

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Shocked] Lord have mercy!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Okay, now that a murder’s happened, I’ll just say it right now.

You’ll all get your talents back.

 

 **SHIORI:** W-wait, r-r-really?!

I-I don’t think that t-this is a fair t-trade… t-two of our friends for our t-talents…? I-I don’t think th-that’s…

 

 **MONOKUMA:** SHUT UP YOU SPINELESS VOCALOID!

 

 **SHIORI:** [Dropping binder in shock] GHAAAAAAAA!!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Now if you’ll all stop screaming for around seven seconds then I could actually do something!!

 

 **DAICHI:** [Absolutely shocked] Ughaa!? W-what are you going to do?! You are… actually giving our talents back?!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Sinister, leaning forward] God you dumb bitch, two people fucking died, the motive doesn’t count anymore. It’s a motive, not a rule.

Heehee~! Of course, I don’t expect your hollow skull to hold information more complex than ‘Sword equals make’~!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Flowery] Yup yup! That’s exactly correct! The motive no longer counts towards ya!

 

 **SHIORI:** S-so… we’re all g-gonna be talented again? J-just like you said?

 

 **MONOKUMA:** … Well, yeah.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Holding head] O-oh jeez oh jeez… a-as much as I wanted m-my talent back t-this just wasn’t worth it… huuu…

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Blank-faced, crying] …

Damn right it wasn’t worth it… no kidding…

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Oh _come_ on! Are you seriously just gonna stand there with your mouth open and cry!? That’s not interesting!

[Lunging forward] SCREAM! Get angry! Kill someone! We haven’t had 3 victims yet, that’d be fun!

 

 **TSUBASA:** … I don’t… care anymore.

I don’t know what to do anymore… I have no track to stay on… No one to turn to.

 

_My subconscious mind recognized that his voice was shaking._

_Everyone knew that Aiko was the brains of the duo, despite her not being that smart compared to some of the others in the class. She was the kingpin and Tsubasa was like a henchman. They clearly enjoyed each other’s company, but it was clear their relationship was symbiotic. Aiko gave Tsubasa things to do, Tsubasa did things for Aiko._

_I could only imagine what he must have been feeling._

 

 **YUI:** [Eyes forced shut, tearing up] … Ghgh…

 

_Katsuo and Yui were friends. No one knew exactly why, they didn’t seem to have next to anything in common aside from their aesthetics, but they were usually seen around each other._

_That is, until the day after the first trial, when Yui tried to kill Atsukenna. They started to drift apart after that, with Yui not doing much aside from being tied to a chair or going into a self-loathing spiral. I doubt they even talked the day he died._

_Katsuo died in the background, with no one close to him. The thought of that made the pit in my stomach even deeper._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Aww man… welp, maybe next time we can get some juicy drama!

… Or maybe we could get said Juicy Drama another way…

[Cocks assault rifle] Specifically like this.

 

 **REN:** WH-!?

 

[CG: Monokuma shoots memory clouds at everyone with an assault rifle]  
  
**MONOKUMA:** GUN SOUND GUN SOUND GUN SOUND GUN SOUND

 

 **CHISHIKO:** GYAAA!! That acting is so lazy that it scares me to my core!!

But wait- there are actual gun sounds coming from that! You silly bear~!

 

 **SHIORI:** KYAAAAAAAH! I-IT’S SO LOUD AND MISTY!!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** SEVERAL MORE REPEATED GUN SOUNDS!! GYAAAAAAAHAHAAAAA!

 

 **YUI:** *Cough cough* S-stop… my lungs are super famous… for being fragile…

 

 **REN:** WHY DOES HE HAVE SO MANY GUNS!? WHY IS ANY OF THIS HAPPENING!?

 

 **MONOKUMA:** CONTINUOUS GUN SOUNDS!!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Oh come _on_ you piece of shit ass-spined man-whore! Now your laziness is just _sad._ I’d slit your fucking throat myself if you even had one, little bitch.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** …

*Sob* *Sob* So rude…

 

[CG END]

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Sobbing] WAAHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHA!!! YOUW SO MEAN!!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Defensive pose] Oh dear _god_ please tell me you said that with an R--

 

 **MONOKUMA:** I’M GONNA GO CRY INTO A PILLOW AND EAT MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM FOR 9 HOURS!! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** GOOD! FUCK YOU! GO!

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Paw on chin] Wait, do you want me to go right now? I mean, you haven’t even gotten the super duper special **Monokuma File!**

Times **Deux!**

 

 **SHIORI:** O-oh… I-I nearly forgot about that…

W-why do we need two? I-it would save resources if you j-just included two victims on one tablet…

 

 **MONOKUMA:** That’s what I’m doing.

 

 **SHIORI:** G-good thinking…?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Rolling eyes] Ugh, don’t even think about giving that thing a compliment again, it’s honestly painful listening to your voice say that shit.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Tearing up] …

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Don’t you dare.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Soap opera drama pose] J-just take it… *sob*

 

_Two murders in succession… anything that could be the reason for this sounded just as horrible as the last. Is there one killer? Then one of our friends is sick enough to kill two of us. Are there two killers? Then two of our friends are guilty. Did the victims kill each other? Then we’ll never get to hear their final words._

 

_Still… I need to be strong. I can’t just let these people die in vain… Even if the truth is a disaster, I have to let people know what truly happened…_

 

_Or we’ll all die._

 

**{INVESTIGATION START!}**

 

_Monokuma set down 10 copies of the Monokuma File in front of us, lazily organized and unnamed. I picked one up and scrolled through._

 

 _There were two tabs, one that read_ **_“Hibarayashi A.”_ ** _and the other which was written_ **_“Sugai K.”_ **

  


[MONOKUMA FILE 3]

The victim is Aiko Hibarayashi.

The time of death is around 9:10 pm.

The body was discovered at 10:05 pm in the Candyland Smackdown.

There were some chemicals found in the body.

There are several wounds around her neck, and her windpipe is severely damaged.

 

[MONOKUMA FILE 4]

The Victim is Katsuo Sugai.

The time of death is around 9:40 pm.

The body was discovered at 10:05 pm in the Candyland Smackdown.

There were some chemicals found in the body.

There is a wound in his abdomen. No other injuries were found.

 

 **> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: MONOKUMA FILE 3** **  
** **> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: MONOKUMA FILE 4**

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Fist on jaw] Hm… at least it appears that Monokuma hasn’t hidden much information from us.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** I’d beg to differ, actually.

 

 **MIYAKO:** Hm?

 

 **DAICHI:** T-there… is no cause of death?

 

 **REN:** [Scratching hair nervously] Y-yeah… It just says that there were chemicals n’ wounds n’ stuff _on_ the body… it doesn’t actually, like, say what they did.

 

 **MIYAKO:** So… this murderer could have used anything and simply… covered it up?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Winking, peace sign] Yep yep! C’mon c’mon! Let’s find out how the skank and the wallflower bit it!

[Finger gunning at the camera] You, Tubby! Get the witch down~!

 

 **OTA:** … Fuck you, but… I will… not cuz of you, cuz I gotta.

 

_Ota reached towards the wire holding Aiko’s neck, and…_

 

 **OTA:** OW! Shit, shit…  

 

_I glanced at his hand, which now had a multitude of small cuts._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Shocked] I-is that…?

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Taken aback] **Barbed wire…**

 

 **YUI:** [Wretches] … What the hell…?

 

 **REN:** Oh _come on!_ Th-that’s just sadistic!

 

_… What the fuck._

 

 **DAICHI:** [Feigning confidence, fists on hips] E-erm… Fear not! I am armored! I-I shall get her down!

 

_Daichi butted past Ota and put his armored hands on the barbed wire, bringing her down to the floor._

 

 **TSUBASA:** …

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

 

 **OTA:** …

 

 **REN:** …

 

 **DAICHI:** SO! W-we should probably… erm, split up and investigate?

 

 **SHIORI:** [Trying to look optimistic] Ehehehe… Heh… G-good idea! Haha…

 

 **YUI:** [Hiding in feather boa] … Yeah.

 

 **SHIORI:** E-erm, Ms. Kamii? Y-you train _cats_ to do medical procedures, s-so you must have some kind of experience yourself…

W-would you mind caring f-for Mr. Oguro?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Fiddling with nails condescendingly] Pff, as _if_ , seriously, the next time I touch that pig is when I’m punching his ugly teeth in.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Exasperated] … W-well that’s not very nice…

 

 **OTA:** You… legit expected her to help me? She calls me like… a pig, like, every other minute.

 

 **SHIORI:** Y-you do make a good point…

[Squeezes binder] E-erm! M-Mr. Oguro, I’ll t-treat your hands! I-I think that I h-have significant medical training for that!

 

 **OTA:** [Looks at hands] … Y-yeah, thanks, let’s go.

 

_I stayed in the store with Kiyoshi while the rest of everyone spread out._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … I guess we’re sort of partners now?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … [Sighs] Vaguely, I guess?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Well, we should hop to it then.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Hop to it?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Scowling] Don’t.

 

 **NATSUKA:** But… you do make a good point, we should actually investigate.

But… where do we even start?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** I’d start with **that.**

 

 _Kiyoshi pointed to the ground, where a perfectly intact_ **_knife_ ** _laid. I crouched down and looked closer at it._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … There’s no blood.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … Huh. I didn’t see that.

 

 **NATSUKA:** It’s not exactly fucking _difficult_ to realize that there’s no blood on it. Seriously, for someone who takes pride in their intelligence, you can be very, _very_ dense.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Crossing arms] You should stop talking to yourself, Natsuka, people might think you’re not well.

 

 **NATSUKA:** _Fuck_ off.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: KNIFE ON THE FLOOR**

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Okay. So there’s a knife. What else.

 

_Kiyoshi had already started investigating Aiko’s body._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** I think you might want to look at this.

 

_I leaned over his shoulder._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** There’s something tied to her leg… it looks like…

 

 **NATSUKA:** It’s a… dumbbell?

…

 

 **KIYOSHI:** This reminds you of something, right?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Rouki’s execution…

Why did the killer do this…?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Crossing arms] We shouldn’t focus on the killer's motive right now.

We’ll just focus on the facts… for instance.

 

_Kiyoshi lightly held the rope to the dumbbell in his hands._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** This isn’t the first time this rope has been used.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … And that means…? What?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Shrugs] I have no clue.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Wow.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** You act like I’m some kind of detective, but really, I just have some things that most people don’t.

[Tapping temple smugly] Common sense, and a logical mind.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Shut up.

 

_… Aiko’s body looks so sad. Someone had closed her eyes, but she just looked… disappointed. Tired. My eyes traced her form and widened when I looked at her hands._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Oh dear.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** What? Have you realized something?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … She probably fought back.

Her hands have cuts on them.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Eurgh. Chilling.

 

_The cuts on her hands had long since stopped bleeding, but the blood hadn’t exactly dried totally._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Adjusting glasses] This can’t mean anything good.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: CUTS ON AIKO’S HANDS**

 

 **KIYOSHI:** We should probably investigate the barbed wire further… There might be some more evidence on it.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Y-yeah… it’s probably the murder weapon.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Might be.

 

_Kiyoshi’s hands glided up the barbed wire softly, making sure not to touch it hard enough to be cut._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Aha! Found something.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Is that… a piece of fabric?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Grabbing chin] Yes, but not just any piece of fabric, these are definitely from something heavy-duty.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Well, obviously. The killer couldn’t just strangle someone with barbed wire and have no protection.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** True, true.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: CLOTH ON BARBED WIRE**

 

 **KIYOSHI:** As much as I’d just love staring at this girl’s corpse, we have a whole other body to investigate.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … I guess we do.

 

_Both of us walked into the Smackdown section of the store and looked towards Katsuo’s lifeless body, his front facing the ground._

 

 **NATSUKA:** I’m… very glad that we can’t see his face right now.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Oh, did you finally grow some emotions?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Shut up.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Cringing] … I do agree, though, but we still need to figure out what happened.

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Sighs] … Let’s just… get this over with.

 

_I leaned over Katsuo’s body and looked closer at him._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Oh- dear god…!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Hm?

 

 **NATSUKA:** H-... He was impaled- or, something- I don’t… know. There’s… there’s just a hole in his stomach.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Tugs on scarf] … Ouch. That must be what he means by a wound in his abdomen

 

 **NATSUKA:** H-heh… good news is that I found the murder weapon… It’s, uh, right there…

 

_I pointed to a spear that was near his body, covered in blood, obviously the weapon._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Judging look] Hrm…

 

_Kiyoshi walked towards the spear and bent down to pick it up, letting out a small ‘Urf’ as he held it in his hands._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** It’s rather hefty, isn’t it?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Y-you’re holding the weapon that killed one of our friends and you’re telling me how heavy it is? A-are you a person?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Tapping temple smugly] Well, since the spear’s so heavy, I think we can gather some logical conclusions.

Like, for one, the killer could be strong… or something else.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … W-what do you mean?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Smirks] Natsuka, you tell me, if something is heavy enough, what happens when it falls on someone?

 

_For emphasis, Kiyoshi dropped the spear on the ground, creating a loud ‘THUD’._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … So you’re saying that they dropped the spear on him?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** If they weren’t strong enough to do otherwise.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Do you think, if they did, that they were inspired by the previous case?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Both.

Did you notice? The Monokuma file said that the killer used chemicals on them. Remind you of anyone?

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

Shit.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Eyes closed] I don’t know what their motivation is, but it could be possible that they want to make us relive the previous cases, bring us back to reality or something like that.

 

 **NATSUKA:** You just pointed directly to yourself, dumbass.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** There are times when I really want to strangle you, and this is one of them.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: HEAVY SPEAR**

 

 **NATSUKA:** … There’s something weird going on with Katsuo’s body… there’s some kind of powder on it.

 

_Kiyoshi bent down and looked over the corpse._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … Well that’s weird.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Is that it? Just, ‘Well that’s weird.’ Seriously?

 

 **KIYOSHI:**  Did I stutter? It’s strange that the body has this… white powder all over it! That’s all I can think of right now!

 

 **NATSUKA:** How do you devolve from ‘Detective’ to ‘Average Teenager’ in less than a minute…?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Rolls eyes] Ugh.

 

 **NATSUKA:** You’re not helping your case, pal.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: POWDER ON KATSUO**

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Crosses arms] Well, as far as I can tell, that’s it for him. I’d suggest we leave.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Y-yeah…

 

_When Kiyoshi and I both walked to the exit door of the store, I reached for the handle and glanced at the other door, the entrance._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Why is there a rope there?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Pinching bridge of nose] What the hell are you talking about?

 

 **NATSUKA:** It looks like someone tied a rope on the doorknob to the entrance and cut it off, take a look for yourself.

 

_Kiyoshi briskly walked towards the door and inspected it._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** There was probably a reason for this to be here, but I can’t really guess why…

 

 **NATSUKA:** Let’s just… make a note of it and move on.

 

_I turned the knob to the exit and pushed, but when I took a step towards the outside-_

 

*SKLENKENK*

 

 **NATSUKA:** GAH!!

 

_I fell down, knocking over a trash can by the two doors and ending up on my back. Kiyoshi walked over to the exit and stepped over me like I was an annoying log._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Hand on chin] … Pressure plates. Interesting.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … What?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Watch and learn.

 

_Kiyoshi stepped on the same place I stepped, and the vent above it opened._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Looks like the plate triggers a string right here [Gestures to air] and that makes it so that it opens and closes. Neat, huh?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Shut up.

 

 **> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: REMNANT OF ROPE** **  
** **> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: PRESSURE PLATE IN STORE**

 

 **KIYOSHI:** … Hm…

[Eyes wide] Oh… thank you, Natsuka’s lack of coordination and composure…

 

_Kiyoshi bent down and looked at the contents of the trash can._

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Take a looksee, it’s pretty interesting.

 

_Reluctantly, I pushed myself up to a crouching position and looked more closely at the things that were inside the trash can. They included…_

 

 **NATSUKA:** A rag, some broken glass, and… a piece of plastic and a piece of… very thin metal?

 

_I investigated the rag, but the closer I brought it to my face…_

 

 **NATSUKA:** … I feel kind of… woozy.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Turning to the right, glancing at camera] It’s probably chloroform, or some other narcotic.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Good to fucking know- but what about the other stuff in here?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Probably the remnants to something else. Maybe something else to do with chemicals?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … You have no idea, don’t you?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Eyebrows furrowed] Shut up.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: CONTENTS OF TRASH CAN**

 

 **KIYOSHI:** But… this entire situation has reminded me of something.

 

_I used my knees as support to push myself up from my uncomfortable crouch._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Is this going to be another genius observation by the great Kiyoshi Arita, or are you just going to groan like a 13-year-old?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** “Kiyoshi Arita” is a strange way to say “Natsuka Hino”, but I digress…

The bones of the store are a bit strange, don’t you think?

 

 **NATSUKA:** How so?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Well, there are two doors in the Candyland Section, an entrance and an exit, and one door inside the Candyland Section to the Smackdown Section. You have to go through the Candyland Section to get to the Smackdown Section.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … The killer could use that to their advantage.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Smiling sarcastically] Exactly! Wow, look at you go, first it was emotions, and now you’ve grown a brain!

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Part of me doubts you can even read.

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Absolutely livid] … You shut your undignified mouth, you… fucking idiot.

 

 **NATSUKA:** O-okay jeez! I’m sorry, I-I’m sorry!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Angry, turning away] Whatever, I’m going now. Goodbye, Natsuka. Hopefully you grow some coordination next.

 

_… Does he have a complex about his ability to read… or something?_

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: SETUP OF THE STORE**

 

_Now alone, I walked into the halls of the store, looking for something to investigate._

 

 **DAICHI:** Aha! There are you are, Maiden Hino! How has your search for the truth been?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Hello, Daichi… it’s been decent, I guess… two of my friends are still dead, but… we all know that.

… Did anything happen to you recently that you think might be relevant to the case?

 

 **DAICHI:** [Crosses arms] … Hmmm… Now that you mention it, I think something might have!

 

 **NATSUKA:** Oh, really? Could you tell me?

 

 **DAICHI:** [Dramatically extending arm] Of course, Maiden Hino, I shall!

[Sadly holding arm] I talked to Sir Sugai… a bit less than an hour ago, I believe…

 

 **NATSUKA:** H-huh!?

 

 **DAICHI:** … Come to think of it, there were some suspicious things that he was doing during that, but I’ve, erm…

[Flopping down, depressed] Only noticed them right now…

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Just tell me what happened.

 

 **DAICHI:** Very well then! It happened around 9:30 PM this very night… or was it 9:35? I don’t know!

I saw Sir Sugai…

 

[FLASHBACK]

 

 **DAICHI:** Oh, greetings, Sir Sugai! How have you been?

 

 **KATSUO:** O-oh, hey, Daichi! Nothing much, I-I'm just getting some candy for this cake I'm baking!

 

 **DAICHI:** ... Is that a knife? S-Sir Sugai, why do you have a knife?

 

 **KATSUO:** Uh, well, whenever I get something from another room, I always lose my knife! I don't know why, but...

It's just a habit of mine to take my knife with me now.

 

 **DAICHI:** Oh, that's perfectly fine then! Goodbye, Sir Sugai!

 

[FLASHBACK END]

 

 **DAICHI:** And that’s what happened!

I’ve only recently realized that he could have been lying, but…

I’d really prefer if he wasn’t.

 

_… Jesus christ._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Did he have any powder on him?

 

 **DAICHI:** Hrrmmm… Yes, I think he did! Why do you ask?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … It was on his corpse.

 

 **DAICHI:** [Defensive pose] GHK-!!

 

_… That was unexpected… could Katsuo have been planning to get a victim of his own? If so, why?_

 

 **NATSUKA:** E-ermm… do you have any idea where to investigate next?

 

 **DAICHI:** [Putting finger on chin] Hrmm… Maybe going to the bakery would be a good idea? If Sir Sugai is a victim, th-then maybe that would have something interesting?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Decent plan, I think?

 

 **DAICHI:** [Hands behind back] B-but, erm, please don’t be mad if there’s nothing there! It was only a guess!

 

 **NATSUKA:** … It’s okay, Daichi, even if you’re wrong I really doubt that it’s going to matter in the grand scheme of things.

 

 **DAICHI:** GOOD! Because I am probably wrong! Haha!

 

\--

 

_I used the escalator to go down to the second floor and into the bakery, where I found…_

 

 **NATSUKA:** Christ, it’s a mess in here…

 

_Tons of baking supplies scattered all over. Butter, flour and sugar were covering the counter and the floor._

 

 **NATSUKA:** What the hell even happened?

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: MESS IN THE BAKERY**

 

_Just as I was about to go to the 3rd floor again, I heard something._

 

 **TSUBASA:** WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT!? LITERALLY WHAT PURPOSE DID THAT SERVE OTHER THAN BEING AN ANNOYING LITTLE BITCH!?!

 

 **REN:** I THOUGHT IT WOULD LIGHTEN THE MOOD! I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE HARMLESS!

 

 **TSUBASA:** BUT: NEWS FLASH, BITCH- IT WASN’T!

 

 **NATSUKA:** … What the hell? What are they even…

 

_I dragged my hand over my face and groaned._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Ughh… C’mon, let’s go.

 

_I talked myself into seeing what was going on and walked down to the dorms, which is where they were having their argument._

 

\--

 

 **NATSUKA:** What the fuck is going on here?

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Absolutely livid] OH, REN HERE JUST DRAMATICALLY AFFECTED THE CASE WITH HIS DUMB FUCKING PRANK, THAT’S ALL!

 

 **REN:** [Flailing arms] Y-you act like I knew! I had no idea!

 

 **TSUBASA:** AND YOU’RE ACTING LIKE THAT MATTERS!

 

 **NATSUKA:** For the love of **God** can someone just explain what he fucking did?

 

 **REN:** [Holding hands up defensively] I switched around the nameplates! That’s it! That’s all I did!

 

 **TSUBASA:** You didn’t mention the _ACTUALLY_ important part, dumbass!

Hey, Natsuka, were you aware that the nameplates are actually our **fucking mailboxes?**

 

 **NATSUKA:** … I’m sorry, what?

 

 **TSUBASA:** So, in layman’s terms… Ren swapped around our mailboxes for no particular _goddamn_ reason.

 

 **REN:** OKAY, LISTEN!

[Crosses arms] We were all losing our talents and we were _all_ terrified of death…

I-I just thought I could lighten the mood, y’know? Is that so bad?!

 

 **TSUBASA:** IT IS WHEN THIS IS IN ONE OF THE FUCKING MAILBOXES YOU SWITCHED!

 

_Tsubasa angrily pulled down the nameplate with Katsuo’s picture on it, revealing a small hole in the wall with an opened envelope inside of it. Tsubasa took the letter hastily out of its container and read it aloud._

 

 **TSUBASA:** "Hey! Do you think that we could meet up at 9:30 tonight? I feel like someone might want to do something horrible. Please don’t ignore this, I’m kind of terrified."

 

_… Huh?_

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Can I see that?

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Visibly trying not to punch something] Oh, sure, sure! Go ahead!

 

_I took it and scanned the letter. It was written in girlish, fancy handwriting. It said exactly what Tsubasa had read._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … [Sighs] Ren, who the hell did you swap Katsuo with?

 

 **REN:** [Defeated] Uh… Tsubasa.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … O-okay, what about Aiko?

 

 **REN:** [Smiling awkwardly] Uh… well I was gonna swap her with Yui, but…

 

[FLASHBACK]

 

 **AIKO:** … OH HEY REN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? AHAHA!

 

 **REN:** … N-nothing! Nothing, I’m doing nothing, Aiko!

 

 **AIKO:** No, no no no, I don’t think you heard me- ahaa…

What the **fuck** are you doing?

 

 **REN:**  U-um… I… I uh…

… I, uh… swapped everyone’s nameplates.

 

 **AIKO:** Wow, fascinating! So, here’s a fun fact-

If you don’t get your fucking cheeto fingers off of my goddamn nameplate, I’m gonna kill your ass!

 

 **REN:** … G-got it.

 

[FLASHBACK END]

 

 **REN:** … Yeah, that’s basically all that happened…

 

 **TSUBASA:** … UGH…

 

_Tsubasa stomped over to Aiko’s nameplate and pulled it down, revealing yet another letter._

 

 **TSUBASA:** … Notice anything…!?

 

 **REN:** [Covering mouth, horrified] O-oh my god-...?!

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Pointing angrily] The killer was going to kill me, but _APPARENTLY_ this little shit couldn’t have that…

So he basically doomed Katsuo and forced me to live without any **fucking** reason…

 

 **REN:** … I… I’m so sorry I… I didn’t know…

 

 **TSUBASA:** That doesn’t matter. Your actions have consequences… even if you didn’t mean anything, the problem is still goddamn there…

 

 **REN:** …

 

 **TSUBASA:** … It… isn’t _all_ your fault, though. [Rolls eyes] I _guess._

 

_Attempting not to be noticed, I slinked my way over to Aiko’s nameplate and took the letter inside of it._

 

"Hey! Do you think that we could meet up at 9:00 tonight? I feel like someone might want to do something horrible."

 

 **NATSUKA:** The handwriting is different.

 

 **TSUBASA:** Huh?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Uh… the one sent to Aiko is very… frank? To the point… while the one sent to Katsuo is girlish and pretty. I think Aiko might’ve written it, and it’s possible someone forged the other one…?

 

_I turned the letters to show Tsubasa and Ren the differences._

 

 **TSUBASA:** … That’s not… Natsuka, come with me.

 

_Tsubasa practically dragged me to Aiko’s dorm, leaving Ren guilty and confused in the hallway. Oh boy._

 

 **NATSUKA:** What the hell are we doing?

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Hands on hips] I’ve got a theory. I think that Monokuma probably unlocks doors to rooms that are necessary to the investigation, since… he seems to cheer us on when we succeed, for some reason.

 

 _And then, like a demon crawling out of it’s summoning circle,_ **_he_ ** _appeared._

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Happy expression] Hey babes! It’s ya boy! Wanna join the glob?

 

 **TSUBASA:** I’m not even gonna pretend you didn’t just hear what I just said, so _am I right?_

 

 **MONOKUMA:** … [Unsheathes claws] OOOGH… you clever minx… you fuck… you leetle man…

Yeah, totes.

 

_Tsubasa put his hand on the handle and turned it, opening the door as if it shouldn’t have even been locked._

 

 **TSUBASA:** … So Aiko’s room is important to the case somehow?

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Shwuggy wuggy! I dunno!

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Angry, clenching teeth] I’m **ASSUMING** that’s a solid ‘Yes.’

 

 **NATSUKA:** Ignore him and show me what you were showing me before he gets bored.

 

 **TSUBASA:** … Yeah.

 

_… Tsubasa really doesn’t like showing any emotion other than ‘irritated’ does he…? He seems nonplussed, but his best friend died only an hour ago…_

 

_Aiko’s room was just as I remembered it… that whole conversation couldn’t have happened more than a week ago, but none are ever going to happen again._

 

_Tsubasa walked over to the counter and pulled a pink journal from it’s drawer labeled ‘Not A Diary You’re Hallucinating’ in fancy, feminine handwriting._

 

 **TSUBASA:** Aiko always dots her I’s with hearts. Always. You can see for yourself if you’d like. The one time she didn’t was when she broke her arm. Even then, she still tried.

 

_Tsubasa handed me the book, and I flipped through it._

 

“Book Find with a Side of Murder-

So it’s been a day since that demon bear decided to make us kill each other and HONESTLY I’m freaking the fuck out? I found this book in the library so I’m gonna use it to like write down shit or something. This entire thing is… so fucked up, but at least I’ve still got Bassy around.”

 

_I flipped some more._

 

“What the fuck what the fuck-

Kuukiko is dead. Emizu is dead. No one can help us.”

 

_And some more…_

 

“ Everyone’s Losing Their Collective Shit-

Yui tried to kill Atsukenna. Monokuma gave us more motive to kill. I’m going to die here and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

 

_… Once more, somberly._

 

“Score 1 for Aiko! -

Ota wants me and Bassy to watch Yui for some reason? I’m a humble bitch, so I accepted, but I made him let me do his nails. Cyan so goes with his color scheme, and he’s got really big hands too~! It was suuuper fun but he made Bassy get him some gloves which was a TOOOTAL bummer.”

 

“Stupid fucking Kosuke evil demon bitch Rouki all of them are nothing Im in control now”

 

_I couldn’t bring myself to look any more._

 

 **NATSUKA:** E-every… Every I is definitely dotted with a heart, yeah.

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Crossed arms, slightly sad] … Are you okay?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Never. We can’t worry about that now, though… But why is the handwriting different on the letter?

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: SWAPPED NAMEPLATES**

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: LETTERS**

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: AIKO’S DIARY**

 

_I couldn’t stay in the room for any longer, so I left her diary on the counter and walked out._

 

 **TSUBASA:** … [Sigh].

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

 

 **REN:** [Fiddling with hands, anxious] …

 

 **NATSUKA:** R-Ren, did you switch the dead student’s nameplates?

 

 **REN:** … Yeah, no. Th-that’d just be mean… plus, it wouldn’t really affect them.

 

_I jogged over to Emizu’s nameplate and pulled it down. When I looked inside the crevice, I saw…_

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Goddamnit.

 

_A Monopad. I reached for the power button, just to check. A flash poured through the dark hole in the wall and onto my hand._

 

+EMIZU HOSHINO+

 

_…_

 

 **NATSUKA:** … [Sigh].

So this is how she found them, huh.

 

 **REN:** Wait… d-does this mean…?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Aiko’s Monopad wasn’t in her mailbox, so we can assume that once the trial for the case they die in is done, the person in question’s Monopad is probably put inside their mailbox.

… That’s probably not relevant to this case, though…

Who exactly did you switch?

 

 **REN:** [Hands on hips, sweating] … Haha! D-do you really expect me to remember that? Heh… heheh…

 

 **NATSUKA:** _Ren._

 

 **REN:** [Slouched over] Okay, fine…

I think it was…

You and Chishiko, Tsubasa and Katsuo, Shiori and Ota, Daichi and I, Miyako and Kiyoshi…

And I never did anything to Yui and Aiko’s.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET UPDATED: SWAPPED NAMEPLATES**

 

 **NATSUKA:** … I think I’ll be going now.

 

 **REN:** C-can I come too?

 

 **NATSUKA:** _… Why?_

 

 **REN:** [Grabbing bridge of nose] I’ve been… basically nothing but a nuisance this entire time… I-I wanna help at least… a little bit.

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

Sure. Whatever. Don’t be annoying, though.

 

 **REN:** … Thanks.

 

 **TSUBASA:** [Crosses arms] I’ll stay here. You two can leave.

 

 **NATSUKA:** That’s what we were planning on.

 

\--

 

_We went back up to the third floor, where we ran into Ota and Shiori._

 

 **SHIORI:** [Waving shyly] H-hello Ms. Hino! Hello Mr. T-Takemoto!

 

 **OTA:** [Twiddling thumbs and glancing to the side] … Hey, bro, hey Nats.

 

 **REN:** Uh… Yoooo. Hey.

 

 **NATSUKA:** I’m guessing his treatment went well?

 

 **SHIORI:** O-oh, yes, it did! I-I don’t think that I’m as t-talented in medical procedures as M-Ms. Kamii, b-but he s-says the pain stopped, s-so that’s good!

 

 **OTA:** She’s pretty good.

 

 **REN:** Hahaa… Nice. Nice.

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

 

 **REN:** …

 

 **OTA:** …

 

 **SHIORI:** …

 

_Well that didn’t go very well…_

 

_… What’s that?_

 

_I walked over to the place where the Flashback Gun’s dome was and investigated it._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Someone used this.

 

 **REN:** [Throwing arms in air] Uuuughgh… This is hell! This is hell and I’m in it! Woo baby! How many dead cops are we at now!?

 

 **NATSUKA:** We’ve been in hell for longer than today.

 

_Two of the guns looked out of place, as if someone had put them back in a hurry, or something like that._

 

 **SHIORI:** W-W-WAIT, REALLY?!

[Holding head, dizzy] J-jeezums oh jeez oh jeez-- w-what are we gonna do…

 

 **OTA:** [Stressed, running hands over hair] Th-this just _keeps_ gettin’ worse, doesn’t it?

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: FLASHBACK GUNS**

 

 **NATSUKA:** … This could mean a lot of things, but it’s… probably important.

 

 **SHIORI:** M-maybe s-someone just… t-tripped into it o-or something?

 

 **OTA:** Uh… I-I dunno if it’s just cuz you guys aren’t as big as me… but when I trip into somethin’ I _always_ at least try t’ fix it.

 

 **REN:** I don’t think that’s a ‘being big’ thing, that’s a ‘being clumsy’ thing.

 

 **OTA:** [Bashful, crossing arms] ‘M not clumsy. Just big.

 

 **REN:** [Gives a tired thumbs up] You keep tellin’ yourself that, bro. You do you.

 

 **SHIORI:** I-I know that someone w-would probably fix that if they tripped into it, but… I’m j-just trying to find a way that someone didn’t use those…

 

 **REN:** I don't blame you, honestly… the fact that someone would actually use those fuckin’ things makes my skin crawl.

 

 **OTA:** [Rubs back of neck]  Yeah, same here. Shit’s, like creepy.

 

 **NATSUKA:** We don’t have _time_ for smalltalk, we need to investigate before our hour’s up.

Ren, come with me.

 

 **REN:** … Yeah, I guess I did technically ask for this. See you guys?

 

 **OTA:** Seeya, dude.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Anxiously waves] Goodbye Mr. Takemoto!

 

\--

 

_The inside of the Chemical Kingdom was cold and metallic as always, even before we walked in. The faint hum coming from the vent in the ceiling almost serving as white noise._

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Waves lightly] Hello hello, you two.

 

 **REN:** Yo yo, Miyabro! How’s it poppin’?

 

 **MIYAKO:** …

I retract my hello.

 

 **REN:** Aw, come on! What’s wrong with Miyabro!?

 

 **MIYAKO:** Just… everything. All of it.

 

 **REN:** Most of it’s your name! Way to roast yourself, though.

 

 **MIYAKO:** I am actually begging you for the love of god stop talking.

 

 **NATSUKA:** What did I say about being annoying again?

Ugh, whatever- Miyako, have you found anything?

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Closes eyes] Nothing that you haven’t, I’d assume. I’m still in shock, but I’ve been trying to find some evidence that could point us to a culprit.

I haven’t been doing a good job, but I’ve been trying.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Very helpful, Miyako.

 

_… It’s not like I didn’t get her. I was in shock too, and I could almost consider Aiko a friend before she died, but…_

 

_If I don’t investigate, then everyone else might die._

 

 **MIYAKO:** S-sorry, Rose. [Chuckles nervously]

 

 **NATSUKA:** It’s fine. Probably.

Let’s go, Ren.

 

 **REN:** Yeah, that sounds chill.

 

\--

 

_Seven Souls made me feel more emo than people already told me I was. I hate being called emo. Luckily, Yui was less goth or emo and had more of a punk style, so the effect was neutralized a little bit._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Yui, have you done… any investigating?

 

 **YUI:** … That was mean. [Puts hands on hips] I acshully did a lil bit this time!

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Sighs], What do you mean by ‘A little bit’?

 

 **YUI:** [Hides in feather boa] … I found a thing.

 

 **NATSUKA:** What thing? What did you even find?

 

 **REN:** [Shrugs] Yeah, no offense, dude, but you’re lazy as shit, I’m kinda doubting you did anything.

 

 **YUI:** … [Pouts] Well fine, if thas how you wanna be, I’ll just prove ya wrong.

 

_Yui ran (or in our case, lightly jogged) over to the stage and climbed onto it. She made a ‘come over here’ motion with her hand, so we did._

 

 **YUI:**.. Okay, so y’notice how there’s this real big light above me?

 

 **REN:** Yup, and it’s off! Did you notice that the light as off? Is that literally it?

 

 **YUI:** … Nna, course not.

 

_Yui pointed up towards the light system above her._

 

 **YUI:** [Smiles proudly] Take a look at what’s holdin’ that up.

 

 **REN:** … That’s uh… definitely a ceiling.

 

 **YUI:** … No, dummy, the rope.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Rope?

 

_I craned my neck a bit higher to see what she was talking about, and…_

 

_In place of a wire, there was a long, brown rope that was holding up the large light._

 

 **NATSUKA:** How could you even do that?

 

 **YUI:** Prolly by usin’ the buttons that make the lights go up an’ down.

 

 **REN:** That’s… so dumb? Seriously, what reason could they even have for that?

 

 **YUI:** I’m not a freakin’ detective girl… I just found a ropey rope. I dunno what they wanted to do with it…

 

 **NATSUKA:** Despite how dumb it might be, there’s probably a good reason that the killer did that.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: REPLACED WIRE**

 

_Ren and I were about to walk out when she appeared._

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Hey hey hey you guys! What have you two found? Drugs? Sex? Money? Come on! The listeners wanna know~!

… But seriously. [Serious expression] Why the hell are you investigating in the music room? The murder weapons were barbed wire and a goddamn spear? What would be useful here?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Go away, Chishiko-

 

 **REN:** If you _must_ know, we found something totally amazing, sexy and important here! Bitch!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Blank expression] Your meaning of sexy and ‘important’ probably means that you found some dumb Boy’s Love Hentai or a manga no one’s heard of. I doubt it’ll be anything worthwhile.

 

 **NATSUKA:** It actually _is_ important, Chishiko.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Oh! So it _was_ important, then! Go on, do tell.

 

 **REN:** You have, like, 0 subtlety…

 

 **NATSUKA:** For some reason, someone replaced one of the wires on one of the light systems with a rope… I don’t know why, but it has to be at least some kind of important.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Disbelieving expression] …

Are you serious right now? Are you seriously not putting this together?

 

 **REN:** … Putting _what_ together? Why can’t you just crush that dumb high-and-mighty bullshit you have goin’ on like you crush my dreams?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** I can’t say that it’s the killer that put the rope there, but I do know common sense _and_ murder mystery tropes.

 

 **NATSUKA:** What are you talking about?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** It’s pretty easy when you think about it like a smart person, honestly.

 

 **REN:** No, seriously, what are you talking about?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Rope…

[Serious, grave expression] Is much easier to cut than wire.

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

 

 **REN:** …

 

_Ren and I stood silent and intimidated by Chishiko’s claim. We both cautiously glanced over to the rope-hung light system. I started running over in order to determine if she was right._

 

 **NATSUKA:** Yui, you should probably--!

 

_I was around halfway there when I heard the sounds._

 

[KERRANG]

 

[HOOOOOOOOOOOO]

 

[...]

 

[BOOMCRACKCLIIIKKCRASH]

 

_…_

 

_……………….._

 

_…………………………………._

 

_……………………………………………….._

 

_The sound of footsteps stomping invaded my ringing ears, getting closer every second. It sounded like a thousand stallions were going to trample me, and all I could do was stand and wait._

 

 **CHISHIKO:** CALLED IT! CALLED IT! I FREAKIN’ CALLED IT~!

… [Disappointed expression, glances at the floor] [Sighs]

 

 **SHIORI:** W-WHAT HAPPENED?! W-W-W-WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?!

 

 **REN:** Y-YUI?! ARE YOU OKAY!?

 

 **SHIORI:** [Drops binder in shock] GYA?! W-what happened to M-Ms. Kajiwara?!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Dear lord, what have you idiots gotten yourselves into now?

 

 **DAICHI:** I HEARD A NOISE! A VERY LOUD, BAD ONE! IS EVERYONE ALRIGHT!?

 

 **OTA:** [Ready to fight, cracking knuckles] HEY! IS ANYONE HURT!? I’LL FUCK SOMEONE UP IF THEY HURT _ANYONE!!_

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Ever heard of an oxymoron, fatass!?

 

 **REN:** OH MY GOD CHISHIKO SHUT UP SOMEONE MIGHT BE DEAD!??

 

 **OTA:** WHAT!? WHO!?

 

 **TSUBASA:** … Christ.

 **MIYAKO:** [Sweating, shocked] … Oh deary me, well that’s… um…

Jesus fucking christ what even happened?

 

 **REN:** SOMEONE CHECK ON HER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD?!

 

 **NATSUKA:** Y-Yui…

Oh god…

 

_I felt my eyes widen, exposed to the air around me against my will, my mouth felt dry as I backed up from the scene. My hands found their way to my mouth almost as to stifle a yell. I forced my brain to power through its fight-or-flight response and run onto the stage where Yui laid._

 

_The broken glass decorated her like a sidewalk on a snowy day, and the blood that came in small cuts all over her face could be compared to the ice that came after the snow had set. My breath hadn’t yet come back to me, so I only stared at her still body. Praying to a nondescript deity that her eyes would flicker open._

 

_A blur of blonde hair came from my peripheral vision and placed itself in front of me._

 

 **CHISHIKO:** … Well, good news is that she doesn’t seem _dead._

Maybe _soon to be_ dead, but not _currently_ dead.

 

 **TSUBASA:** That’s not exactly much better!

 

 **SHIORI:** M-Ms. Kamii!! You have medical training! P-please u-use it! Y-y-you’re basically a paramedic!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Presses finger into forehead] Friggin’ duh! ‘Course I’ll help! Yui here ain’t some gosh dang diddly-darn ugly undeserving dumbass! You know who you are, baby!

 

 **SHIORI:** [Furrows brows, stern expression looking down] Ghhh…

 

 **YUI:** … Nnng…

… Hhh… elp…

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Don’t worry girly, us cute girls have to stick together in times like this~! Y’know! When one of you’s dying! Those specific times~!

[Suddenly livid]  TUBBY! Carry her to the nurse’s office before she **dies**!

[Flails arms] Before she reaches the nether realm! Before she dances into the sun and becomes one with the inferno! Before she sinks into the void! Before-

 

 **OTA:** [Tearing up, furious] I’M DOIN’ IT! G-GOD!

 

_As he promised, Ota ran up to the stage and reached for Yui-_

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Ah-ah-ah! If you grab her, you could cause way worse cuts! Grab the light first.

 

_Angrily, Ota obeyed, only making a slight inward breath through his teeth when he grabbed the light, decorated with glass._

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Peace sign] Tututuruu! Objective complete! Now you can grab h-

 

 **MIYAKO:** Would you _PLEASE_ stop doing that? It is… annoying.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Fuck off you emo she-dog bitch! I don’t have to listen to you! At least my IQ is higher than my BMI!

 

 **REN:** Can someone tie her up like we did that one time with Yui? Please?

 

 **SHIORI:** S-sadly, we can’t… i-if she can get cats to administer medical p-procedures, th-then she has to be… amazing. W-w-we’ll need everything w-we can get right now…

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Plus, you’d hafta catch me if you wanna hogtie me like a… hog!

 

 **OTA:** I’m not above punchin’ your obnoxious face in… pal.

 

 **YUI:** … ‘S na’worfit…

 

_Sympathetic expression, Ota placed Yui in his arms with relative ease, and slowly walked out of the Seven Souls, his sandals making soft, repetitive clicks and drags. Chishiko skipped out of the store with her supernatural pep…_

 

_And they were gone._

 

_………………………………._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Who… did this?

 

 **DAICHI:** [Obviously distressed] …

 

 **NATSUKA:** What… what motive would anyone even have for this?

 

 **SHIORI:** [Sighs] …

W-we need to investigate… th-this definitely had a motive, w-we just need to find out what it was.

 

 **REN:** … Okay.

 

 **TSUBASA:** …

[Sighs].

 

 **SHIORI:** H-Has anybody found anything? A-anything worth noting?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … The vents.

I swear to God-- Someone m-must have used the vents to make the trap happen!

 

_I ran over to the vents and pointed at them as forcefully as I could._

 

 **NATSUKA:** They’re much bigger than normal vents, anyone that isn’t as big as Ota o-or Daichi could fit in them without a problem!

 

 **SHIORI:** [Shocked] G-GYAAAH!? TH-THAT’S A SERIOUS ISSUE!? WHAT TRAP!? A-ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE REPLACED WIRE?!

 

 **NATSUKA:** N-no, that’s not it… at the crime scene, there was a trap w-with a pressure plate and some strings- I’m sure that they used these vents to help with the trap!

 

 **REN:** … does that mean that they aren’t suspects?

 

 **NATSUKA:** I- I don’t know, maybe?! What I’m saying is that the air vents are definitely an important part of this case!

 

 **DAICHI:** If you need to suspect me, I will not argue! You might have good reason for it!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Scoffs] For the love of god, shut up.

 

 **DAICHI:** [Salutes] I SHALL IMMEDIATELY!

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: SEVEN SOULS VENTS**

 

 **SHIORI:** W-w-we need to go check that out r-right now!

 

 **NATSUKA:** Eurgh… Let’s go, then.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Grave expression, glancing down] [Sighs].

Y-yeah… Let’s find out who did this.

 

_And with shaky knees, Shiori walked out of the store as well._

_  
_ _I couldn’t tell if she was shaking with anger or fear._

 

\--

 

_Ren and accompanied her through the hall, walking towards the Candyland Smackdown._

 

 **SHIORI:** [Confused expression] E-erm, which door has t-the trap, Ms. Hino?

 

 **NATSUKA:** The exit door.

 

_Shiori walked over to the exit and pulled on it, taking a step into the store…_

 

_The air vent gave her a light bop on the head, which caused her to jump._

 

 **SHIORI:** G-GYAH!!

…

O-oh. I’m not dead.

 

 **REN:** Did you _seriously_ think she’d send you to your death?

 

 **NATSUKA:** I wouldn’t put it past her if she did.

 

 **REN:** … Dude.

But that’s a weird trap… why would you even put that there?

 

 **SHIORI:** I-I can think of a few reasons.

 

 **NATSUKA:** When I investigated this room with Kiyoshi, he said it might have been something to do with the murder weapon.

 

_Images of the hole in Katsuo’s abdomen flashed in my mind, making me shudder almost subconsciously._

 

 **SHIORI:** [Glances off into the corner]

 

 **NATSUKA:** … The bodies are in there too, if you… want to see. For some reason.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Clearly not paying attention] …

 

 **REN:** Are you… are you even listening?

 

 **SHIORI:** H-HOLY TOLEDO!

 

_Without another word, Shiori scurried across the store and fell to her knees near Aiko’s body._

 

 **SHIORI:** … Ghh… [Mumbles indecipherably]

Th-this is very, very bad!

 

_She hurriedly picked up a small object that was a translucent purple near Aiko’s body (which she was trying not to focus on) and read something to herself in a hushed murmur._

 

 **SHIORI:** A-and… that’s worse. Oh dear.

 

 **REN:** … Shioriii? Whats uup? Are you doin’ okay?

 

 **SHIORI:** I-it’s Pierrepoint.

 

 **REN:** [Mouth agape] … Hrn?

 

 **SHIORI:** U-Um… It’s **poison.**

 

 **REN:** [Throws arms in the air] WELL WHOOPTY FUCKIN’ DOO! THIS IS JUST THE YEE TO MY HAW! AMAZING!

 

 **SHIORI:** E-erm… S-sorry in advance, but…

Pierrepoint poison i-is only lethal in extremely high doses…

 

 **REN:** Oh that sounds nice-

 

 **SHIORI:** B-but any dosage causes extreme nerve sensitivity, which, i-in layman's terms… makes p-people feel m-more pain than they should.

 

 **REN:** OH MY GOD

 

 **SHIORI:** W-where would you even… get this?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Why do you know so much about poison?

 

 **SHIORI:** … I don’t a-actually know… I-I think I might have an i-idea, but that doesn’t matter right now.

… T-the Monokuma File mentioned chemicals in Mr. S-Sugai’s body too… [Dizzy expression, holds head] Eeeeh…

 

 **REN:** I’m gonna jump into an active volcano holy shit haha!

 

 **NATSUKA:** L-let’s just… get this over with.

 

_I walked towards the Smackdown section and scanned the area for any purple bottles_

 

_Surely enough, near Katsuo’s body, there was a small purple bottle. I kept myself from retching and picked it up._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Christ.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Panicked, holds head] Oh dear oh dear oh dear… Th-there was another one, wasn’t there?!

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Nods] Yes.

 

 **SHIORI:** [Sighs] … Hand it over.

 

_Shiori inspected it with an anxiety-ridden, bug-eyed look._

 

 **SHIORI:** … J-jeez… **Wonderland Poison** …

 

 **REN:** [Crosses arms anxiously]Why would you name your murder juice after a kids book?

 

 **SHIORI:** W-well… probably because it causes severe hallucinations before you f-fall asleep…

 

 **REN:** I DIDN’T ACTUALLY WANT AN EXPLANATION _SHIORI._

 

 **SHIORI:** [Absolutely shocked] AAA!! I’m so sorry! I-I’ll get you caviar every day of the week if you want me to!!

 

 **NATSUKA:** Shut _up._ Is that all that this poison does?

 

 **SHIORI:** Erm, w-well… no.

 

 **REN:** [Lips curling inward] … Hmph.

 

 **SHIORI:** W-Wonderland poison is less of a k-killing poison and more of a certified w-way to get an injured person to die… I-it can be lethal, but it’s… it’s a blood thinner, m-more than anything.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … So you’re saying that Katsuo was already injured when he was given this?

 

 **SHIORI:** M-most likely.

  


**NATSUKA:** How did we even miss these?

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: POISON**

 

 **NATSUKA:** Anyways… They must have gotten these from Chemical Kingdom…

 

 **SHIORI:** I-I TOLD MR. ARITA HE SHOULD’VE HIDDEN THOSE IN HIS SCARF!!

 

 **NATSUKA:** That wouldn’t help.

 

 **REN:** Yeah, I’m pretty sure that Kiyoshi would _literally_ die if he helped another person. So.

 

 **NATSUKA:** That’s not what I meant, oh my fucking god. I was… I was talking about… the SCARF.

 

 **REN:** He’d die if he did that too.

 

 **SHIORI:** Y-you guys… W-we should go to Chemical Kingdom.

 

 **REN:** … [Scratches hair with a nervous smile] Do we… have to?

 

 **NATSUKA:** For someone who said he wanted to help, you’re being totally unhelpful right now.

 

 **REN:** … [Sighs].

 

 **SHIORI:** There’s no time to l-lose! We need to get there as quickly as possible!

 

_If there were a word that was the cross between “Dainty jog” and “Femur-shattering sprint,” it would be useful to describe what Shiori did then._

 

 **NATSUKA:** H-how much time do we have again?

 

_Ren’s eyes floated upwards to the clock in the store, which read ‘10:58’._

 

 **REN:** If we found the bodies at ‘10:05’, then…

[Smiling anxiously, hand on forehead, eyes vacant] We have like, 7 minutes left. Haha.

 

 **NATSUKA:** What?! I-I thought we had at least 20!

 

 **REN:** Yeah, me too, I think I just kinda died for the first twenty minutes!

Wow! I guess a certain sci-fi mystery game was right, this is a real familiar **dilemma.**

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Rubs temples and groans] That was forced, but whatever- we need to go!

 

_We turned towards where Shiori had ran and started quickly._

 

_We reached the store a good ten seconds after Shiori was investigating the bottles. Before I entered, I heard a voice say something casually next to me._

 

\--

 

 **SHIORI:** [Absolutely flabbergasted] …

 

 **REN:** [Scratches at scalp] What is it this time?

 

 **SHIORI:** …

E-erm… I-I don’t know how to feel about this.

 

_I glanced at the glass case and immediately quirked my eyebrow. Two purple medicine bottles were placed inside of the many green ones of the middle case._

 

 **REN:** … That doesn’t look like much, someone prolly just fucked up and put the purples with the greens! That’s even that bad of a color combo, my man.

 

 **SHIORI:** W-well… th-the contents of the containers a-are actually color coded…

I-I’ve deduced that purple m-means poison, like the Pierrepoint o-or Wonderland poisons…  green means m-medicine, a-and red is… experimental…

 

 **NATSUKA:** What do you mean experimental?

 

 **SHIORI:** O-oh! Think anti-aging cream, o-or pills that make you smell terrible t-to bugs! Things like that!

 

 **NATSUKA:** So, for some reason, two poisons ended up with the medicine?

 

 **SHIORI:** [Clutches binder and hides] Y-yeah… I-I don’t really see the p-point, but… it happened.

 

**> TRUTH BULLET ADDED: DISSONANCE IN POISON**

 

 **NATSUKA:** Have you found anything else interesting in this room?

 

 **SHIORI:** N-not really… a-aside from the poisons, i-it just seems l-like a normal place… i-if a bit sparsely decorated.

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Sighs]. I’ll go investigate somewhere else, I guess? You can help if you want to.

 

 **REN:** Uh, okay?

 

_I hurriedly walked out of the room, the ambient buzz of the vent slowly leaving my ears…_

 

\--

 

_… and ran into another familiar face._

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Smug smile] Oh, hey Nats! What’s goin’ on~?

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Shut up, I’m investigating.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Hey, did you ever think about what Aiko’s ritual actually entailed?

 

_I froze._

 

 **NATSUKA:** … What?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Looks up and puts finger by lips] Well, I was just thinkin’...

Aiko didn’t actually tell anyone what her ritual required. She just told everyone that she didn’t know where it would take place, and that it’d let us talk with the dead.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Where the hell are you going with this?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** So, imagine for a sec, this unchained occultist is gonna do a ritual that she provides little to no details about aside from the fact that it’ll let us talk with the dead, and that she’ll lock herself in an undecided room at night time…

The motive is probably the most brutal it’s ever been, and if someone kills someone, they get the chance to leave the mall…

So the occultist is an obvious threat, and no one’ll look for her even if she’s missing for a while, and you’re on edge.

So, tell me, Nats… What would you do in that situation?

 

 **NATSUKA:** …

Shut up. You’re supposed to be treating Yui.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Makes a heart-hand over chest] Awww~! Thanks~! I actually just got finished with that~!

[Shrugs; Irritated] The Nurse’s office was a fuckin’ mess though, seriously, someone before me had like, no clue what they were doing.

 

 **NATSUKA:** What?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Oh, someone was _looking for something,_ I can tell that much. Drawers were open all over the place, honestly. They definitely had a specific thing in mind.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Can you say what that is?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Noper-Doper~! I dunno~! Haha~!

 

_She’s insufferable._

 

**TRUTH BULLET ADDED: CHISHIKO’S ACCOUNT**

 

 **NATSUKA:** Whatever, I don’t actually care.

Is Yui going to be okay?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** [Thinking with a cutesy expression] Yeah, duh! Lucky for her, most of the impact was on her legs. She’ll need some help walkin’ for a little while, but she’ll be fine aside from pains and scars~! No surgery required~!

 

 **NATSUKA:** … How? T-the light system was extremely… metal.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** If the culprit wanted to kill someone with that, they did a really shit job at choosing a weapon. According to Tubby, that thing was way lighter than it should’ve been.

 

 **NATSUKA:** Ota can bench press seven hundred pounds. His testimony is as useful as an Aconitum.

 

 **CHISHIKO:** … Ugh [Rolls eyes], you may be cute, but you remind me of _Ren_ sometimes, making references that no one gets.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … I’m sorry, _what-_

 

**[Ding dong, bing bong!]**

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Hey hey! Guuuuuesss what! It’s now officially been an hour since you began your investigation!

Come one, come all! Bring thyself to the Elefountain of _justice!!_ Now is the time for the **Class Trial!**

Once you’ve all arrived, I’ll bring you all to the netherworld!

Toodle-oo!

 

_…!! Crap! I didn’t get to investigate more…_

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Huh, well would ya look at that? Looks like we’ve gotta skedaddle on down to Monkem’s Fountain O’ Death. That sucks!

[Brushes off shoulder] But whatever, see ya!

 

_And with that she skipped along to the escalator._

 

_… I don’t want my legs to move._

 

_I don’t want to be there for the future._

 

_I don’t want to do this anymore._

 

_I can’t do this anymore._

 

_The anxiety welled up in my lungs and made it a monumental task to just breathe normally. Every beat of my heart bashed the inside of my ribcage and prayed that the next one would be the finishing blow…_

_  
_ _And yet I have to. I have to survive._

 

_I walked to the escalator. Walked towards what was going to be._

 

\--

 

_Everyone else was lined up near the Elefountain with varying levels of ‘Distressed and Dying’._

 

 **TSUBASA:** … Hmph.

 

_Understandable._

-

 **MIYAKO:** … Why was this murder so much scarier than the others?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Probably the fact that the killer is obviously a fucking sociopath.

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Sighs] It worries me that someone like that is among us.

-

 **OTA:** … Why do I gotta be the one who loses everything…?

 

 **NATSUKA:** [Glances away, shameful] …

-

 **DAICHI:** Ah, hello Maiden Hino! Did you investigate well?

 

 **NATSUKA:** I don’t do _anything_ well.

 

 **DAICHI:** Stop that! Even in this disgusting situation, one must remain positive!

  


**NATSUKA:** Of course _you’d_ say that. [Chuckles]

-

 **CHISHIKO:** Yo Nats, you got this figured out?

 

 **NATSUKA:** What- God no!

 

 **CHISHIKO:** Well, obviously, but you’re gonna be the main player in this case! I can tell, since you’re the main player in _every_ case~!

 

_Wow, thanks._

-

 **YUI:** …

 

 **NATSUKA:** Y-Yui… Are you okay?

 

 **YUI:** Y-yeah, just hurts to walk… Daich’ carried me here. Standin’s not as bad.

 

_At least she’s not… dead._

-

 **SHIORI:** [Holds head] E-eeeee… Everything’s s-scary… Why is this happening…?

 

 **NATSUKA:** Calm down, you’re one of the smartest people here, you can’t lose your head like this.

 

 **SHIORI:** … [Shaky sigh]

-

 **REN:** … I wasn’t helpful, even when I wanted to be… I guess I’m just… [Unintelligible]

 

 **NATSUKA:** What?

 

 **REN:** It’s nothing. You do you, boo boo.

 

 **NATSUKA:** … Did you just call me ‘wrong’?

 

 **REN:** Nah, you wouldn’t get it! [Dramatic anime pose]

 

 **NATSUKA:** _You’re insufferable._

-

 

 **KIYOSHI:** [Deep thought] …

 

 **NATSUKA:** Seriously **can you read?**

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Go extinct.

-

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Okay, great, you’re all here! Now we can finally start!

 

 **KIYOSHI:** Before you do that, I have a question.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Uh, shoot, I guess?

 

 **KIYOSHI:** What exactly are… the _rules_ for murders of two people?

 

 **MIYAKO:** [Presses fist to jaw] Curious, I was thinking the same thing.

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Oh, goody! You asked!

Well, there are a lot of ways two murders can occur, so I’ve just decided to put a general rule on them:

The first body that’s discovered is the only body that counts! Since both bodies this time around were discovered at the same time, the person who was killed first is the only one that counts!

 

 **MIYAKO:** … That’s sadistic, but… vaguely reasonable, I suppose.

 

 **YUI:** S-so, Aiko’s the only one who matters? Are we just gonna pretend Katsuo didn’t die?

 

 **MONOKUMA:** [Tilts head] Well, if you wanna, I honestly couldn’t care less what you do with the one that doesn’t matter.

 

 **TSUBASA:** …

 

 **MONOKUMA:** Now, is it okay if we get on with this?

 

 **CHISHIKO:** It’s not, but go ahead~!

 

_As the Elefountain prepared for our descent, my head turned to static fuzz with thoughts._

 

_Aiko’s main trait was her femininity, and how her interests had nothing in common with how she looked. She could be manipulative, rude, and vain, but she had a kind heart and an open mind. I thought that I might have a friend in her one day. She proposed a ritual the day she died, and, though it seemed impossible, she probably genuinely thought it would work. She wanted us to see our friends again, no matter what it took._

 

_It took her life. Now, we’ll never see if she truly had occultic powers, or if the ritual would work. We’ll never see her again._

 

__

 

_Katsuo blended into the background a lot. He wasn’t particularly outgoing or eccentric, aside from his apparel, but he was a kind person. He tried to bring us together before the first killing happened, and, even though that didn’t exactly go as planned, he cared deeply about his friends. He was probably one of the only sane ones in our group._

 

_Even after his death, Katsuo blends into the background. His death wouldn’t even count. He wouldn’t be worth anything. The thought of that makes my stomach churn._

 

__

 

_Chishiko said that I’d be the main player in this case, but I don’t feel like I can do anything._

 

_All of us will die eventually, no matter how hard I try to stop it._

 

_… Still…  If I can delay that for as long as I can, then…_

 

__

 

_I’m going to win this class trial!_

 

\--

 

_The elevator creaked, with hollow bangs from our scrambling feet as we hesitantly poured ourselves into the machine._

  


**CHAPTER 3**

**STAND IN THE DARK AND OPEN YOUR EYES**

**PART 5**

**END**

**\--**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE that was some fucking shit waint it.
> 
> here are smoe fuckign POLLS BTICHHHCH!!! !! ! 
> 
> https://www.strawpoll.me/15422808
> 
> ^ Who killed Aiko?
> 
> https://www.strawpoll.me/15422809
> 
> ^ Who Killed Katsuo?
> 
> watashi


End file.
